The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness
by Lady Lestrange
Summary: Sequel to The Seers' Truth: The Broken Beginning. Dark Ginny? No, she only wanted to help Tom, who talks to her in her head. Now she's at Volde's stronghold,with one unconscious friend and a bunny animagus. Oh and the Basilisk. Pureblood Snape.
1. CH 1: The Cost of Magic

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The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness

By Lady Lestrange

Chapter 1

The Cost of Magic

Disclaimer: All Potterverse belongs to JK Rowlings. No infringement is intended or implied. Thanks JK.

This fic is a sequel to "The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning". If you have not read "The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning", it is suggested that you read it first.

Lady Lestrange

Still here? OK. Some spoilers for "The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning" follow, but if you really intend to read on without reading "The Seers' Truth: a Broken Beginning," here are some pertinent facts that will help you to understand the story. Otherwise, you would probably be hopelessly lost.

What you need to know, if you have not read The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning: 

Tom Riddle, at age eleven, was possessed by the spirit of Salazar Slytherin. This combination became Voldemort. The phoenix feather wand was Tom's not Salazar's. A Prophecy Child which Helga/Trelawney/Patil predicted would change the course of history, is now in Voldemort's hands, but due to Dumbledore's blunder, she is near death. The ministry is infiltrated by Death Eaters, and Azkaban is opened. Ginny Weasley in an attempt to help the "innocent" Tom Riddle whose memory lives in her head, finds herself surrounded by Death Eaters. Ginny is also part of a Helga prophecy. Want to know how all that happened? Read "The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning," formerly entitled, HARRY POTTER AND THE SEERS' TRUTH.

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Chapter 1

The Cost of Magic

By Lady Lestrange

Fourteen year old Ginny Weasley rolled over and clutched the sheets trying to wake up, whimpering in her sleep. She was eleven in her dream and writing in the diary, doodling really, making little hearts with Harry's name in them. She decorated Harry's name with bubble letters and colored them in with her quill.

"I wish Harry would kiss me," she wrote. "I could just imagine—" In her sleep, Ginny tossed restlessly, remembering what was coming.

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"What do you imagine, Virginia?" His writing was neat and thin. Spidery writing that reminded Ginny of the script in an old storybook. It was beautiful writing really. She would never tire looking at it.

"What it would feel like to have him kiss me—at least notice me," she wrote in the diary.

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"Tell me," wrote Tom.

  
"I can't."

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"You know you can tell me anything, Virginia."

She squirmed in her sleep, thinking he was still calling her Virginia. He was still so formal, but not for long. . . no not for long.

"I know, Tom." She sighed, biting on the end of the quill. He thinks I'm just a little girl—his best friend's baby sister. He doesn't even know I'm alive."

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"Perhaps I can help." The words formed slowly in Tom's neat thin handwriting. "There's a spell—somewhat like a love potion."

"What is it?" Ginny wrote anxiously.

The heart she had drawn with Harry's name in it reappeared on the diary page, complete with the decorations and doodles around it. Beneath it letters began to appear. 

_"It needs your kiss, Virginia," wrote Tom. "Lick your lips and kiss the heart and Harry will kiss you before the year is over."_

"Really?" She looked at the diary for a moment and kissed the heart, thinking of Harry.

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"Try again," he wrote. "Lick your lips first."

"I did," she complained.

She waited for the diary to answer her, to tell her what she did wrong. The writing came, flowing onto the page, explaining what she had to do.

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"Remember, I told you that you always need a bit of the witch or wizard who casts a spell to make it strong? Once more, and when you have your lips on the diary, open your mouth a tiny bit and put your tongue against the page."

"But I'll spit on it."

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"Exactly," wrote Tom, and Ginny hesitated. 

"That's disgusting," she wrote.

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It's just a little thing, Virginia. The spell needs something of yours if you want it to work."

"Yes, but——"

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The words came fast and harsh. Big sloppy letters marred the page, the thick ink strokes covering the curly decorations she had made around the heart. "Spit on the damned book, brat!"

"No."

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"Would your prefer blood? The diary in her hand ruffled its pages, and she slammed it shut, but not before one of the pages caught her finger at just that particular angle needed to draw a single drop of blood.

"No." Ginny opened the diary and sucked her index finger. She stared at the book as her blood sank into the page. As she watched, the word Harry in the center of the heart changed and reformed itself into other letters. Letters tinged with the red of her blood: TOM.

The dream suddenly skipped ahead as dreams do. It was much later in the year and she was in the Chamber of Secrets. It wasn't the first time, nor the last.

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"You would bleed for me?" Tom wrote. His flowing spidery handwriting looked beautiful on the page.

"Yes." She wrote.

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"Oh, Ginny Love." He wrote. And nothing more came for a long time. 

She wrote: "Don't you know how to do this Tom?"

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"Yes. I know how," wrote Tom. "There are two ways—the magic can come out of the diary, or you can come into the memory." 

"You can come out?" she wrote excitedly.

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"I think it's better for you to come in--"

She frowned. "Will I be able to get back out?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't you be able to get out?"

"You can't."

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"That's because the evil wizard put a spell on me—a spell we are going to break. Remember?"

"I remember. Tell me what to do." Ginny wrote.

No answer came.

"Tom, tell me what to do."

The answer when it came was written in a slow careful hand.

"This is not as simple as it seems, Ginny. It is consent."

She was going to answer, but a second later, the writing began again, Tom continuing to explain.

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"Do you remember what I told you about consensual magic?"

"Yes."

"I am not a physical being. I exist only in a magic memory. You cannot push me away if you change your mind."

"I won't change my mind. I trust you, Tom."

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For a long while no answer came, but when it did, the writing grew rounder and bold strokes of ink quickly filled the page. "Open the diary and place your hand against the open book. Swear that you will free me—swear by your magic."

"No blood?" wrote Ginny recognizing the change in writing, which signified it, was now Salazar to whom she wrote

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"Not yet." 

She shivered, her hands tensing in fear and clutching the sheets where she slept.

"Misstresss!" hissed a small voice. "Misstresss!"

Ginny awoke, sitting up abruptly in her bed and breathing fast. It was only a dream. Everything would be all right. Only it wasn't her bed and nothing was all right. The sting of the paper cut still on her fingers and her heart pounding, she looked around the room—a room in His castle. The nightmare was not over. The nightmare had only just begun.

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"You know, Ginny Love, observed the memory of Tom which she now carried in her head. "We really have to try to improve the quality of your dreams of me. It's depressing."

"Is danger? A sheis?" hissed the voice. "Mistress-s-s-s is ssscared."

"No," she calmed the little serpent, speaking in parseltongue. "There is no predator. Nothing for you to be afraid of—" Of course, for Ginny, fear was a different matter.

She was in His lair at the Snow Castle and when she closed her eyes she could see His lipless mouth telling her once again to find his emerald. She could see His deep green eyes watching her—. They slowly turned to red as He raised His wand. His voice hissing, "Blood and magic mingled. You are mine." Her Mark burning. 

She shuddered with the memory. Was there nothing of her Tom left in that snake's body? 

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"I rather doubt it," advised Tom. 

She pulled back the sleeve of her robe to see her Dark Mark. It was still and quiet, but just inches below it toward her hand was another mark: two puncture marks made by his basilisk's fangs. She looked at her hand expectantly and found that sometime during the night, the little basilisk had claimed his mistress with a bite on the index finger when she dreamed of the paper cut, and finally, she had the third, which was actually her first. The serpent had sunk his fangs deep into her neck moments after she had portkeyed from the grizzly scene of last night's events. No, it wasn't His basilisk, she thought. It was now hers since it had bitten her repeatedly. 

Samara's book had said that one might feel sick after being bitten, but the bites were necessary to imprint the serpent to its wizard master. She didn't feel sick. Her neck hurt where it had bitten her, but the bites on her hand and arm were not so sore. She felt tired, and rather numb, but she thought that was from the events of last night. The reality just hadn't sunk in yet.

She rubbed her thumb along the cool iridescent scales of the serpent. It was green and turquoise and had a reddish glint, rather like the colors of a rooster. It was beautiful. She should hate the basilisk. Its mother had been everything she feared in first year, but the tiny serpent was quiet, only a baby really, literally born yesterday. The tiny thing wrapped itself around her wrist twice, and its tongue tasted the skin of her hand. Its eyes were still closed. She tried to remember how long it took them to open. She should remember from her reading of Samara's book.

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"Honestly, Ginny Love. Do you ever remember anything you read? It's six months." Advised Tom.

"That's right," she thought. 

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"Of course I'm right," said Tom with his usual arrogance. "And you'd better start teaching it to keep its eyes closed. I'd rather like to keep our body alive."

"My body," corrected Ginny as she laid her hand across the basilisk's face.

Your eyes must stay closed, she told it.

Yessss Missstress. 

Feeling the warm lump that was Beatrice, her witch friend and bunny animagus at her feet, she added, You will not eat anything I do not give to you. Only I will feed you.

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Tom found her attempts to keep Beatrice alive strangely amusing. "You are speaking to a serpent," said Tom. "It doe not understand Beatrice is your friend. It only understands that Beatrice in her animagus form is prey."

Do you understand? Ginny asked her basilisk in parseltongue.

Yesss Missstress. No hissuss unlesss Missstress givesss.

Ginny smirked, and Tom was silent for the moment. 

Ginny rubbed her hands over the fine material of the bedding, arranging it carefully so as to not awaken her friend Beatrice. Her friend's life could depend upon how obedient the little serpent was to her. The entire situation felt impossible. Surreal.

Ginny leaned back against the silken pillows, thinking He did nothing half way. Hanging near the bed was a clean dove gray robe that looked new. It was expensive, made of the softest angora. Fine stitching depicted black serpents, which slithered around the hem. Their scales showing iridescent color as they moved. It was infinitely better than any robe she had ever worn, but she told herself such things did not matter to her. She was here for one reason and one reason only, to find a way to free Tom from Salazar. 

Also, beside the bed was a plate of fruit, the orange already cut into bite sized pieces, as if he knew it would be her choice. His guests were treated with as much opulence as his enemies were treated with pain. The question always was at what point did one meld into the other.

She hesitated a moment and then popped a piece of the orange into her mouth, feeling a bit guilty for enjoying what He had given her. She pushed the apple aside saving it for Beatrice. What on Earth was she going to do with Beatrice? She wondered. She knew her animagus friend had come with her to help, but Ginny couldn't think of any way for the bunny to help, and she could think of a lot of ways she could get killed.

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"Bet I could think of more," Tom challenged.

"Shut up, Tom," thought Ginny.

Ginny Weasley ran her hand slowly over the Dark Mark on her arm. Pleasure and pain, He had said, and she had felt both, from Him, although the pain was more real to her. Right now, The Mark was still and quiet—just a tattoo. 

She looked out of the window. The sun was just risen over the ice. It was beautiful. The colors of the sunrise had almost disappeared with the morning light, but a few pinks and blues were still visible against the ice and snow. She wondered how far the stronghold really was from civilization. She didn't know. All she knew was that it was unplottable. Death Eaters couldn't even apparate to it without his call. She had no idea where on Earth the castle was. She didn't think anyone knew save perhaps Maura Rosier whose family had built the Snow Castle for a family retreat years ago. Ginny had apparated to it once with a house elf and once she had come through the floo, but Voldemort had told Pritch to close the floo between it and Hogwarts. Probably the floo was no longer an optional way back. Did she want to go back? How could she? How could she ever go back to her family? Visions of the twins, unconscious on the floor, dementors held off only by Ron's patronus and Ron's eyes accusing her of betrayal would haunt her forever.

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"How long are you going to sit here and feel sorry for yourself," Tom inquired. His feelings decidedly disgusted with her lack of action.

Tears crept into her eyes and she dashed them away. As much as she hated to admit it, Tom was right. How could she feel sorry for herself? She had things to do. First, she had to find a way to get her friend Beatrice back before Voldemort found her. There was no way that Beatrice would survive the Dark Mark. And secondly, she had to find Samara. Samara was in the most danger, both from Voldemort and from the monumental amount of magic that she had consumed. Ginny found herself wondering, not for the first time how she had managed to get herself into this impossible predicament. 

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"It could have had something to do with demanding that Snape take you with them to Salazar," said Tom.

Sighing, she swung her legs out over the edge of the bed, intent upon finding out how serious her friend Samara's injuries were. But first, she had to find out where Samara was--

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"Careful, Ginny Love," warned Tom.

++

He was too agitated to sit. His prophecy child could die. A century of work—all the waiting and it could all be for nothing. He paced like a caged animal, feeling helpless. It was a feeling that he thought he had left behind ages ago. Outside the room, whispered ridicule was passed from Death Eater to Death Eater. Later, he thought. He would deal with them later. 

Just because he was too powerful to mock outright, did not mean that he wasn't mocked. He had learned long ago the only way to stop the laughter was to stop the laugher. Hard and fast—and then the fear kept the others in line. Some called his methods cruel. Others called them evil. He called them effective.

Most thought he was a hard man who ruled with an iron fist and a yew wand. Some thought he was not a man at all, and they would have been closer to right, but no one expected him to be at the child's bedside. He was not the nurse-maiding sort. He always left that to Helga. Still the curious and taunting were lying in a heap outside of the door. Fools! They thought he couldn't see their taunting. But he saw. He knew. He always knew. 

He levitated the dead body of the latest healer out of his way, depositing him in the corridor with the others—the healer who said that she could not be saved—and His anger seethed anew thinking of it. 

"Too far gone to the Elementals—" the healer had said. He would kill the man again if he could. His patient blue eyes and patronizing smile had reminded Voldemort too much of Dumbledore as he remarked that some things must simply be accepted. The words ate like an acid into Voldemort's gut. And Voldemort had pronounced the Avada Kadavra spell. If he had it to do over, he would not have used Avada. The man would have died much more slowly so that he could have looked death in the eye and knew exactly what he had pronounced for the prophecy child. The healer's slow death would have given Him satisfaction, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome, either for the healer or for the prophecy child.

No. Voldemort railed. Death would not be accepted, not unless he had chosen it for her. And he did not choose it. Let the weak except it. Hadn't he defeated death? He sighed and settled himself in the chair by her bed—

For himself and only for himself and at such cost. No one knew the cost of such magic. Ancient magic. Powerful magic. Magic more caustic than anything his current body could handle, but he had done it. When magic was still powerful, near the Rift. When there were few Mudbloods because few believed that muggles and wizards were the same species. When he lived in the flesh of Salazar Slytherin, he had done it. He had examined death more closely than anyone alive. Countless numbers had died so that that he could understand the moment when consciousness left the body. Countless more had suffered to the point of death, so that he could learn how to evade its final end. This was his most exhausting experiment. Most began to lose their grip on sanity after more than seven brushes with death. After he realized that, he never used the same person more than six times, unless, of course, he didn't care about their sanity. Some lost their sanity before the sixth trial, but their weakness wasn't his problem. He found that those who were insane approached death with more calm than the sentient person. They were almost like the religious zealots. Of course, he didn't see much difference between the religious zealots and the insane. The only thing that intrigued him was that the zealots and the insane didn't seem to suffer as much, and he wanted that protection for himself. Such was not to be. It was too fleeting and never the same. He could not isolate it.

Many of his experiments found themselves in a half-life, existing for days, or weeks or months, like the soulless dementor ravaged bodies, until at last they too faded to nothing without their souls. How did these soulless creatures differ from the vampires, the undead? He wondered, and what about those that died and rose again like the phoenix? 

Like a man possessed he pursued his goal. Did the phoenix ever really die? He touched the wand in his pocket and thought not for the first time that perhaps the phoenix had been a mistake. No. They were all necessary sacrifices in his quest for immortality. Even the phoenix was necessary. He could not have done it without their sacrifices. At last he had learned which threads to cut and which to bind. At last he learned how to reanimate a body, but none of those souls had a strong enough intent to stick with their new bodies, no matter how beautiful a body he chose for them. At last there was nothing more to do but to test it with his own iron willed intent. 

The pain was beyond bearing—first the pain of ripping his soul from his body and second the pain of reanimating the new body he had chosen, but he had learned to endure, and in the end, he had conquered death. He was successful, but it was too late for his Helga. She embraced death like a lover. She had left him. She had left him with a sniveling son and a note and a lament about her loyalty to friends. Her loyalty was to HIM! Couldn't she see that? Damn her. It was only much later that he realized she had removed one of the emeralds, which depicted the stone basilisk's eye. Only later, had he realized how deeply she had betrayed him—she who had professed her love.

Salazar's mind came back from his wanderings and watched his basilisks slithering over his prophecy child. Whether they were protecting her or simply reacting to the heat in her body, he did not know. They did not bite her. They did not eat. They would not allow themselves to be removed. Some would have thought their morbid vigil, like His, was because they cared about her. They did not. They were war animals that had no thought of life or death beyond prey and predator. Sometimes he wondered if they weren't the lucky ones. He shut out the feelings that threatened. He was beyond caring about anyone or anything. He was beyond feeling. The Potter brat had seen to that fifteen years ago. No it had happened long before that, thought Salazar thinking of the years in the Chamber with only the stone serpents for company. It had happened over a thousand years ago when the world was turned inside out or perhaps it had happened when his son deserted him or when Helga chose to die rather than take a stand which compromised her rigid standards of loyalty. If she had loved him like she professed, she would never have deserted him. No, he decided long ago, the love she spoke of was a myth. Love did not exist, but as long as fools believed in it, they could be exploited.

He reached out and touched the face of his prophecy child. Samara had not allowed him to touch her while she was conscious, but now, she was completely at his mercy. He could search her thoughts as well as the legimency would let him in this half wizard body, but what good would it do? It was dangerous. He could lose her. He could lose her anyway. What would you do, Helga? He thought. How would you save her?

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"Helga wouldn't have allowed her to be hurt," spoke the voice of his nemesis. "She would have protected her with her own body if necessary, like—"

"What are you now, Tom?" Salazar interrupted with a sneer. "The voice of Helga Hufflepuff? Isn't it enough that you've been my conscience all these years?"

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"If I had been your conscience, things would be different."

"Yes, I would be sane," replied Voldemort. "and whole. And the Potter brat would be dead."

Salazar folded his scarred hand over the wand in his fist to silence the annoying voice, but it was not his wand he was holding. It was hers. He reached in his pocket for the phoenix wand and silenced Tom. The pain of that silencing, as always, took him by surprise. Magic should no longer bring him pain. He had suffered enough. More than any--He closed his hand over the burnt skin on the palm of his hand, willing the throbbing flesh to silence, but the pain would not be stilled. Only the phoenix tears would still the pain, and no phoenix was going to cry for him. He hissed through his teeth, a sound of frustration as much as pain, but he endured, and the magic continued to exhort her cost.

After all his planning and work and years of waiting for this moment it was intolerable that his prize was snatched from him once again by Dumbledore. He knew where the blame for this catastrophe lie. He knew it wasn't the Malfoy boy's fault that she was in such a state. Still the boy needed the crucio to wipe the smirk off of his face—the slippery little snake. Voldemort smiled. The boy reminded him of Carman before she was tamed. He could see none of Lucius in the boy. Well, maybe the girl saw some of Lucius' manipulative charm. Still, there was nothing within the boy that would save her.

No. It was Dumbledore's spell penetrating the shield that caused this—Dumbledore's spell and the Chamber of Chains. If His prophecy child- died, the debt for her death lay solidly at Dumbledore's feet. Not that it was surprising. Dumbledore had exhibited such backbone before with Grindlewald. The hard choice: if I cannot turn him, kill him. The asset must not fall to the enemy side. He could not blame Dumbledore. He would have done the same thing. It was after all the only logical choice. But he missed Grindlewald. He was certain that in time, the old wizard would have deferred to him, the classic story of the apprentice surpassing the master. But Grindlewald was dead, and he was alive, after a fashion.

"Master?" Voldemort turned. It was Severus.

"Have you finished your brewing?" asked Voldemort. 

"I have," said Severus entering the room with the flask and going down on one knee and kissing the hem of his robe.

"Get up. Get up. You'll spill the potion."

Voldemort caught the incensed thought from the man. "I have _never_ spilled a potion." But Severus said nothing, and Voldemort had more important things to think about. "Tell me about this potion," ordered Voldemort.

"Her problem is twofold," continued Severus as he conjured a blue fire on the nightstand and put the potion on it. "She needs to draw herself back from the Elementals and she needs to release the monumental amount of foreign magic in her system. I can't control her decision in regard to the Elementals, and she can't swallow my potion in her unconscious state," Severus folded his hands in front of him and looked at them. "And I don't know if breathing the fumes will have the same effect as the actual potion. She should drink it, but that isn't an option. I can't control the dosage in the air, and all the potion will do is removed the hurtful magic, in any case. It will not guarantee that she will chose to pull herself back from her immersion in the Elementals. She must decide to do that on her own. Simply, she must want to live."

"But it will remove the foreign magic?" asked Voldemort.

"Yes—" Severus hesitated. 

"Speak plainly," demanded Voldemort reaching out to touch Severus face, but as usual that touch did not afford him a look at the man's thoughts. 

"Instead of removing the foreign and hurtful magic," said Severus, "It could remove—more than that."

"Can't you tell? Monitor her somehow?"

"Yes," said Severus, "But I don't think you want to stay in the room with her, The fumes cannot be contained by another magical substance. I was planning on doing the bubble head charm to protect myself. Of course, you could do the same--"

"Ah," said Voldemort, understanding dawning. "You are protecting your own magic, then?"

Severus hesitated a moment and then said, "Yes, Master. I am."

"Good." Voldemort eyed him critically, thinking as he had thought many times before, there was more to Severus Snape than met the magic. He could usually discover those plans, but not with Severus. Of course, part of the reason for that was that Severus was an occlumen and and legimen himself and had natural shields common to those with that particular gift, but it was more than that. He thought of his surprise when he felt the healing and power flowing into Severus just before he had gone to retrieve his basilisks from the Chamber of Secrets. He had called him and Severus did not come. He was very patient, waiting several minutes before upping the pain of the Dark Mark, but still Severus did not come. He had not wanted to summon him, but at last, he had no choice. He had missed the hatching of his basilisks once. 

That mistake too he could lay at Dumbledore's feet. he thought bitterly, remembering the last clutch of basilisks lost. There were thirteen eggs that time too, but like numerous times in the past, only one basilisk survived, the mother of this clutch. This time, only one died because he was with them at the magic of their hatching. For the first time in history, he had kept most of the clutch of basilisks alive. Today should have been a day of celebration, he thought with irritation. Damn Dumbledore!

He had never summoned Snape before do to the sensitive nature of Snape's work at Hogwarts, but he wanted him present for the hatching. When he had finally determined that he had to summon Snape or risk missing the hatching again, the summoning had surprising results. Severus had apparated right through Hogwart's Anti Disapparition Wards, and although Severus' magic was briefly disrupted, he was not unduly harmed. Unfortunately, Severus either could not remember or would not reveal how this miracle occurred.

And then Samara arrived and told him _she_ had taken down the Hogwart's Anti disapparition wards. Voldemort no longer knew what was the truth. The time had long past when he trusted anyone, but he could always discern the truth, except from Severus, who was so blocked. Severus always contended that the shields were naturally occurring and outside of his control, but occasionally Voldemort wondered how much of the shield was really natural and how much Severus had placed. But yesterday, Severus was hiding nothing. He had searched Severus thoroughly. There was nothing to see. There was no information about what had really happened to the wards. Still, Severus was entirely too secretive. There were occlumency wards of Severus' own making that he painstakingly would take down one at a time at Voldemort's request, but they were still there. Severus said they were for Dumbledore's benefit. Voldemort wondered. Of course there were the occlumency wards that mirrored his own, and that damned childhood shield that should have been long gone. He had suggested to Lucius that he find someone who could seduce down Severus' shield, but Lucius had said no one would have the cold slimy fish. Perhaps Lucius needed some incentive to look harder. 

Voldemort started to pace. At least, Severus hadn't thoroughly poisoned the thoughts of the Malfoy boy, although there was a time when Voldemort thought perhaps he had. No fifteen year old boy would guard his virginity so well unless he knew what it meant, and yet—Voldemort smiled as he mind went back to the unconscious Prophecy Child.

"Then we need someone to sit with her during this critical time." Said Voldemort. "Someone who will remind her of the pleasures of life. I know just the person. The young Malfoy." Voldemort smiled. "How can you tell if the dosage is too strong?"

"Convulsions," said Severus shortly. "When the potion begins leaching her own magic, but I'd rather stay with her myself. If it's leaching Draco's magic--"

"Elf!" shouted Voldemort, and Winky popped into the room. "Yes, Oh Great one. How may I—"

"Shut up," snapped Voldemort. "Escort young Malfoy to me."

The elf disappeared with a pop and Voldemort turned back to Severus. "You will tell young Malfoy nothing." He gripped Severus shoulder and for once, Severus did not shy away from the touch. "Nothing," Voldemort repeated, allowing the pain of curcious curse to flow slowly through his fingers into Severus, the fire melting his bones into liquid as it progressed with slow, sure precision, first his shoulder-- "Nothing," said Voldemort as the curcious burned both into his neck and down his arm reducing his bones in its path to a hot ash, the nerves firing in agony. His physical contact with Severus was intoxicating, allowing him to see Severus' turmoil as well as the bones sizzling to a liquid flame with the inexorable force of his spell. Each tiny bone in his wrist popped and cracked like twigs consumed by fire as he waited for Severus to acknowledge his superiority.

"Yes Master," said Severus through gritted teeth. 

Voldemort held the curse still, almost disappointed that Severus had capitulated so soon. Usually he was more resolute when young Malfoy was concerned. "You will remember that both Malfoy and the prophecy child, are mine." Said Voldemort, and tightening his hand on Severus shoulder he felt the bones crumble like cinders beneath his hand, and Severus whimpered.

"Yes, Master."

"Such tension in your neck," Voldemort said softly, at last releasing the curcious and allowing his long fingers to caress the lingering pain in Severus' neck. He felt Severus tense more severely wanting to move out of his touch. "I am not touching your mind, Severus," said Voldemort softly, "But what secrets do you hide there that you fear my touch."

"I have no secrets--"

"Liar," Voldemort said softly. "We all have secrets."

"Nothing of worth."

"You have worked hard on my potion," said Voldemort. "It's time for you to relax. Go to Knockturn. Enjoy the sites. Take Lucius with you. He knows how to have a good time."

Young Malfoy knocked on the door. 

"Go on, Severus," said Voldemort. "I will take care of my prophecy child and young Malfoy here."

"But the potion is delicate, Master. Perhaps I should explain."

"No." said Voldemort simply, waving Severus away. "Go."

Obediently, Snape left Voldemort alone with Samara and Draco, stepping over the dead bodies of the healer and the two Death Eaters who dared to question why Voldemort was sitting with the Prophecy child.

"Would you like me to have them removed?" Severus asked gesturing to the dead Death Eaters.

"No," answered Voldemort thinking they were a physical reminder that he would not be mocked. Reminders such as they were always effective. "Come, come, Malfoy. Don't dawdle."

Although Draco's eyes strayed first to the dead bodies and then to the girl in the bed, he knelt, sufficiently debasing himself and crawled to Voldemort's side, kissing his robes with reverence. It was amazing the effect of a few bouts with crucious, thought Voldemort. He was certainly not so arrogant now. Voldemort smiled. 

"Thank you," whispered Draco, his eyes again going to the Prophecy Child and then dropping reverently to the floor.

Voldemort said nothing at first, allowing the boy to continue to kneel on the cold stone floor. Minutes passed and neither moved. At last Draco shifted his weight, his young body unused to the stillness, but Voldemort did not bother to tell him to rise from his subservient position.

"Do you love her?" asked Voldemort and when Draco failed to answer, Voldemort laid a finger along his cheek, stoking gently, waiting for the thoughts to come, it was remarkably easy now that the childhood shields were down. Voldemort laughed softly. 

"So Malfoy, you traded one magic for another, and now, your goal seems to be slipping away. Good. Then you will protect your investment well. Severus made a potion," continued Voldemort standing and moving towards the door. "You will remain with her, Talk to her. Tell her that you want her to live."

Voldemort wondered where exactly in the process she might be. It was possible that she would be past the point where she wanted to live. If she were, it would be difficult to convince her to embrace the pain again. He considered trying to draw out her thoughts just to satisfy his curiosity, but he decided against it. His intervention could push her away at a critical juncture. He could wait. A thousand years in the Chamber had taught him the value of patience. "As the potion takes effect," he continued, "It will help her to release the magic that is burning inside of her. Tell her that the pain is temporary. It's important for her to understand that as soon as she is firmly on this side of the veil, I can relieve her pain. When the process is completed, her body will convulse. At that point, you will call my elf and send it to me."

"Yes, Master," said Draco, still on his knees. Voldemort noticed his hands were shaking. Perhaps his parents' crucios after his own was too much for the boy, thought Voldemort. "But he had to be sure that the parents were not party to the boy's deception. It would make him stronger in the end, and less likely to stray--" He knew that the boy had strong magic and strong ambition—a dangerous combination. He would have to play him carefully.

"Sit," Voldemort ordered gesturing to the bedside chair he had just vacated and Draco rose from his kneeling position, his body still struggling with the after effects of the crucious curse. He sat hesitantly, uncomfortably, on the edge of the chair, his back to the potion flask, which was slowly oozing a pale smoke that immediately dissipated.

Voldemort's snake senses could smell the light flower scent already, and pulled abruptly on the air elemental for his own protection, but Draco didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Voldemort touched Draco's face once again, this time gathering a glimpse of his indecision and fear. Fear was a good thing, thought Voldemort as he left Draco alone with his prophecy child and his thoughts.

==

Wormtail scampered up to him, crawling over the dead Death Eaters and sniffing them. And for just a moment, the snake-like essence in him wanted to strike, to swallow him whole, to feel his furry little body in his mouth, tasting the last pulsing of his life seeping away, but he mastered the animal within himself, and then the wizard transformed. 

"Minister Fudge awaits you, Master," said Wormtail.

"Thank you, Peter. How long has he been waiting?" 

"Since 8:00 o'clock this morning--About four hours."

Voldemort released the air elemental in his lungs as he entered the corridor and held out his hand to Cornelius Fudge. Stupidly, the wizard still took it, and any hope of deception that Fudge had, disappeared, not that the fool could play that game anyway--

"Dumbledore is beside himself," said Fudge. "He's running on about dementors at Hogwarts, and no longer heeding my advice for caution. He's called out the Order of the Phoenix."

"You don't say," said Voldemort calmly, his long strides taking him toward the dining room.

"Let's discuss it over lunch." He thought about the aurors killed at Azkaban and whom he had replaced with his Death Eaters. A smile played around the edges of his lipless mouth. "Now, aren't the Scrimgoers members of the Order?" he asked.

"Yes Master," agreed Wormtail.

The smile widened.

==

Please REVIEW. You didn't have to pay for this fic. A quick J or L is acceptable. What you liked and what you think could be better is more helpful to me. Or go to the yahoo group The_Seers_Truth and answer the questions for discussion. 

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Lady Lestrange

== 


	2. CH 2: Help Wanted and Rejected

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 2**

**Help Wanted and Rejected**

Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter nor the characters nor the world created by JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  Thanks JK.

THANKS: To my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui de Morte.

+++

Harry heard Madam Pomfrey scolding someone as he approached the infirmary.  That really wasn't all that unusual and actually made Harry feel rather comforted.  He glanced at Ron and the fleeting feeling that perhaps there was hope for a better future disappeared.   Ron looked awful.  Of course, no one could blame him, with both of the twins in the infirmary and his little sister taken by Voldemort.  

_Ginny._  Harry felt his gut twist with anxiety.  Why couldn't he have been a little faster grabbing the portkey?  Why did she do it in the first place?  Why didn't he figure the whole thing out sooner?   Why?  Why? Why?  It seemed to be a question that he had been asking since he entered the wizarding world.  He hesitated at the door of the infirmary; uncertain of what they would find when they stepped inside to visit the twins.  

"Are you ready for this Ron?" asked Harry.

In the silence as Ron nodded, voices drifted into the corridor. First Madam Pomfrey's, "I don't know what you were thinking of, Albus.  Pulling the essence of a man through that ward could have killed him. Souls are not meant to leave their bodies—"

"It was for his own safety."

"Oh—Poppycock!"

Dumbledore laughed, a strangely uninhibited laugh.  "You know me too well, Poppy."

"That I do," Madam Pomfrey said in an odd voice.  "Did you recover Pandora's box, then?"

"No, drat that little—"

Dumbledore broke off as Harry and Ron entered the infirmary; he and Madam Pomfrey jumping apart. The medi-witch immediately pulled the privacy curtains around the patient they were talking about, but not before Harry saw the wizened body of the Death Eater Nott.  Then Madam Pomfrey raised her wand and set a ward around him.  

"I assume you are here to see Miss Granger and your brothers," she nodded to Ron.   

"Yes," said Harry and Ron together.   

"Well, Miss Granger can go back to the dormitory," said Madam Pomfrey.  "There's no lasting damage from the binding spell, only sore wrists." She turned slightly and, looking down at Hermione, started reprimanding her. "Merlin knows how you managed to _Accio_ your wand—dislocating your wrist like that to get your hands apart enough—"

Hermione launched herself off of her bed and tearfully hugged Ron.  He held her for a moment and then looking over Hermione's head, asked Madam Pomfrey, "My brothers?" 

"Your brothers are suffering from prolonged exposure to dementors," said Madam Pomfrey, "but they, too, will recover. However, I need to keep them here for a few days of intense chocolate."

"Can I speak to them?" asked Ron. "Tell them what happened?"

  
"I wouldn't advise it," said Madam Pomfrey.  "They are going to be a bit jumpy for a while.  Best to just let it rest.  I'm keeping them in a magical sleep for twenty-four hours.  Why don't you come back and visit them tomorrow?  Your parents are coming then."

Ron nodded listlessly and started out of the infirmary, arm in arm with Hermione. Harry remained motionless, staring at Dumbledore. 

Dumbledore looked over his half moon glasses at Harry Potter.  "You handled yourself well, Harry," he said.  "You should be proud of yourself."

"Proud?" spat Harry.  "Three witches are gone with Voldemort and two wizards are lying in a hospital bed."  He gestured wildly to Fred and George.  "My two best friends are tearing themselves up—"

"No, Harry.  I don't think they are," said Dumbledore.  "I think you are."

Harry shook his head vehemently and continued as if Dumbledore hadn't spoken. "We have to get them back," said Harry.

"We will," promised Dumbledore distractedly, his mind seemingly elsewhere as he suddenly looked around the infirmary.  "Where's Draco Malfoy?" he asked Madam Pomfrey.

"His father came and took him home over an hour ago," said Madam Pomfrey.  "He had a letter of release from you—although it had no date—"

Dumbledore whirled around toward the doors of the ward, muttering, "He must have saved that letter for two years! Damn Lucius!"  Without saying another word, he stalked from the infirmary, leaving Harry Potter forgotten, his questions unanswered.

++

Ginny moved silently through the long marble corridor and smoothed her new robes.  Running her hands over the material gave her a feeling of contentment.  She wondered if they were spelled to do that.  Obviously, they were spelled to fit her perfectly.  She reminded herself that nothing was as it seemed, and crept forward to the alcove just outside of Samara's chamber.   No one had given her word of Samara's condition and she didn't want to call attention to her friendship with Samara by asking.  Instead, she decided to take matters into her own hands and visit Samara herself. 

As always, Tom was warning her to exercise caution.  "You're such a coward," she teased him.

"Better a live coward than a dead hero," said Tom.

"Where does that leave you?" Ginny wondered.

Tom retreated to some obscure memory, but returned a moment later.  "You do realize the robes are spelled with a cheering charm, don't you?" Tom warned.  "Don't get too content."

Ginny smiled.  "Who would have thought Salazar could do such a good cheering charm?"

Tom sighed in exasperation, "There's no talking to you right now.  I'll be back when you take the robe off—"

Ginny felt her face heat with a blush, but she pushed that thought aside.

She had tried to leave both Beatrice and the baby basilisk in her room.  Beatrice stubbornly refused to stay put in a room with a basilisk, even a baby one, so Ginny wore her little serpent like a necklace.  Occasionally the serpent tasted her neck with the tickling edge of its tongue.  Ginny hoped Beatrice stayed safely hidden in her room.  

She had tried to give Beatrice her portkey to Slytherin common room, but it didn't work. When she spoke to Pritch about it, he pulled her aside and whispered furiously.  "Are you out of your mind!  Of course it doesn't work to _leave _him.  The portkeys I make are to bring his Death Eaters to him or to a certain meeting point—"

"But you could adjust it," said Ginny.

"No!" hissed Pritch.  "I couldn't."  His voice dropped to a whisper.  "The last person who messed with his portkeys—"  Pritch swallowed and looked fearfully into the corridor.

"What about the last person?" asked Ginny.

"He was portkeyed to—the beach—six feet under the sand—and shells—and rocks—"

"Oh," said Ginny softly.

"Lord Voldemort told his brother if he wanted the body, he could go dig it up. If he hurried, his brother might even still be alive."  Pritch took a breath and said in a low voice, "He wasn't.  He dug—with his bare hands.  To this day, he doesn't have any fingernails."

Ginny glanced at Pritch's hands.

"Not me," said Pritch.  And then he added, more quietly, "My grandfather."

Ginny said nothing.  What could she say?  But a part of her wondered why his grandfather didn't just go to some medi-wizards to get the skin and nails re-grown.

_"Honesty, Ginny.  The stone basilisks can't be any denser than you.  Don't you think the man would have had his hands reformed if Salazar allowed him to?"_

"Yes, but Pritch just said he didn't."  
  


_"And why is that, Ginny Love?"_

"Voldemort didn't want him to?"

"Smashing, Ginny Love.  You got one right."  Ginny tried to ignore the sarcasm in Tom's voice.

"I wonder if his body is still buried," Ginny thought with a shiver.

"Nah—" said Tom flippantly.  "I'm sure Salazar found some other use for him—" 

"Oh, Tom, you're not serious—" thought Ginny, a myriad of dark possibilities running through her mind, each more terrible than the last.

_Tom didn't answer, but he really didn't need to.  She could see his memories—and she wished she couldn't._

At last, her vigil at Samara's door was rewarded.  She saw Voldemort leave Samara's room, Scabbers on his shoulder.  No, not Scabbers, she caught herself.  Shivering, she thought of how the rat had occasionally sat with her first year.  She didn't have a pet then, and Ron had let her share Scabbers as long as she cleaned the cage.  Seeing him as a wizard always made her a bit uneasy, especially when he assumed a friendship that wasn't there.  His beady eyes glanced her way, nose twitching.  Luckily neither Scabbers—um, _Wormtail_—nor Voldemort saw her.   She waited nearly ten more minutes before inching forward to the room and trying the door.  It was locked.

_"Did you think it would open wide and chime welcome, Ginny Love?"  Tom thought for another moment and suggested a spell to open the door.  It didn't work._

"No," thought Ginny, "I didn't think it would chime welcome, but this is his stronghold.  I would have thought he would be less worried about anyone harming her."

_Tom suggested another spell.  "Less than what?" he asked._

"I don't know," said Ginny, trying yet another opening spell.  "Everyone here is loyal to him—" 

_"Loyalty is a Hufflepuff concept," said Tom, and the door opened with the spell from his third suggestion._

A sweet flowery scent was in the air.  Samara was lying still and quiet in the bed, and Draco was sitting beside her with a bubble head charm over his head.  His hair was hanging disheveled over his face and dark circles hung below his closed eyes.  He was half-dozing in the chair, one leg was pulled up underneath him in an attempt to get comfortable and his robe was wrinkled irreparably beneath him.  Neither he nor Samara stirred.

Ginny hesitated.  She and Draco were never friends, but she didn't think Draco would object to her seeing how Samara was doing.  "Draco," Ginny whispered, touching his arm.

Draco startled awake, which, in itself, should have told her there was something drastically wrong, but she was still thinking of Samara.  "How is she?" Ginny asked.

"Same," replied Draco, licking his dry cracked lips.  "Well, not the same, but still unconscious.  She's apparently releasing the foreign magic.  It doesn't look like it matters.  She's still unresponsive."

"Did you try—" Ginny glanced away from his haunted eyes. "What did you do?" asked Ginny.

Draco looked at her, and performed the bubble head charm over her head.  "I think He tried to kill me," Draco whispered, glancing furtively towards the door.

"If he had," Ginny said softly, "I doubt that he would have failed."

"No.  You're right, of course." Draco shivered, and straightened his robes.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, wondering what had put the suave, never flustered, Malfoy into such a state, but Draco didn't answer that question.  Instead, he answered what happened to Samara.

He sighed, and then whispered, "Snape made a potion that removes the effects of foreign magic." Draco paused for so long that Ginny thought he wasn't going to continue speaking at all.  Finally he said, "It removes magic— He—"  Draco seemed to choke on the words.  "He told me to sit here, with her, and the whole time the potion was leaching away my magic.  I started to feel tingling—you know, like when you are losing in Quit."

"I know the feeling," said Ginny quickly.

"And I finally realized the Samara was breathing the potion not swallowing it.  I barely had the energy to do a bubble head charm."

"He can't want you dead," said Ginny. 

"He didn't tell me the potion was inhaled!  If I hadn't done the exact same thing to the Gryffs with the owls, I would have never thought of it—inhaled—Do you think he would simply—forget?"  Draco turned his gray eyes on her in an intense stare, and Ginny sensed, for the first time, that Draco was not the confident Slytherin she had grown to know and hate.  He was instead a frightened child just like she was. It was a startlingly realization.

"No," said Ginny, "He wouldn't forget, but Samara told him how important to her you are."

Draco looked away from Ginny, his eyes drawn back to the unconscious Samara.  "Samara isn't awake to tell him—anything now—and even if she were awake, he could say that my death was a tragic accident."

"Maybe he just wanted to weaken you," suggested Ginny.

Draco nodded and then stood to touch Samara as she started to fuss.  She gave a low moan and rustled the bed sheets.

"Get out," Draco said, every trace of uncertainty gone as he pulled his wand and removed the bubble head charm from his own head.

"I think we should listen to him, Ginny Love."

"What?  What is it?  Can I help?" asked Ginny.

"No. Get out of here before you get us both in trouble, Weasley. Go!" he hissed, his gray eyes as cold as ice.  "Elf," he called and Winky appeared next to him.  She couldn't help but see Ginny standing there with the bubble head charm still in place. "Get your Master," said Draco. He glanced again at Ginny. "Staying for the show, are you Weasel?" he sneered.

_"Ginny Love.  Let's get out of here.  Getting caught here does not help her._

Ginny sprinted for the door, the basilisk around her neck hissing in indignant irritation at the jostling movement.

++

Four days had passed and as far as Harry could see, Dumbledore had done nothing.  There were no unscheduled apparitions of aurors onto the school grounds.  There were no new wards or guards and all of the teachers were notably nervous that the wards around Hogwarts were only set temporarily.  Life continued as usual, except that Ron existed in a waking nightmare that was so strong, his friends could feel it.  

It was intolerable that four days had gone by, and Dumbledore had done nothing.  On the morning of the fifth day, Harry was fed up with waiting and went to talk to Dumbledore.  He stood at the bottom of the steps in front of the gargoyle.   

"_Gummy skrewts_," he said and the statue moved aside, allowing Harry to ascend the stairs to the Headmaster's office.

"Come in, come in," said Dumbledore.  "I've been expecting you."

"Expecting me?"

"Why, yes.  I'm sure you are wondering why we allowed Voldemort to take Samara Donnally and Virginia Weasley."

"It crossed my mind," said Harry.

"Well the answer to that is rather simple," said Dumbledore.  "They are obviously 'Dark.'"

"They're not," argued Harry.  "Don't you think we should do anything?  Just sit here and wait for them to die. You need to help them."  
  


"I need do nothing at all," said Dumbledore popping a lemon drop into his mouth.  

Harry choked. _Nothing?_ "But you promised—" Harry started to say and then stopped, thinking of all the times the Headmaster had promised Harry that he was safe at Hogwarts. _Safe, ha! Safe with Quirrel and Lockhart teaching them defense.  The Headmaster's promises seemed to be as reliable as a Slytherin's word—only when it was convenient and benefited him. _

"Nothing?  Is that what you think we should do?" snapped Harry. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Many times thing resolve themselves as they are meant to be—" said Professor Dumbledore, calmly steepling his fingers in front of his face.

Guess that was a rhetorical question, Harry thought. He _has_ lost his mind. 

"Meant to be!" Harry stated incredulously.  He paused slightly and then let loose all the pent up anger and frustration of the last four days. "So you _seriously_ think Ginny having a Dark Mark was _meant to be_?" shouted Harry.

"She did choose it.  Professor Snape said she demanded at wandpoint to go to Voldemort." 

"And he let her!" 

"I don't see that he would interfere with her choice."  Dumbledore shook his head slowly and thoughtfully.  "A wizard's choice in such a grave matter should not be tampered with—"

"It wasn't her choice," snapped. Harry.  "It was that damned diary.  How can you be so blind?"

Dumbledore rubbed his chin.  "Alas, you may be right," he said regretfully. He then continued in a much sterner voice, "But I do not think it makes much difference. She has still gone to Voldemort. She's beyond our reach right now, as is Samara."

"She's not beyond _my _reach," muttered Harry.  "I'm at least going to _try."_

"Harry, no. I do not want to have to restrain you."

_Ha! As if you could keep me here_, thought Harry. He remembered how many rules he had broken when he wanted to accomplish something.  He was quite confident that, if he wanted to get off Hogwarts grounds, he would be able to.  

"Snape went to Voldemort too," Harry said. "You didn't abandon him."  
  


"Professor Snape," Dumbledore corrected automatically.

"So you are just leaving them for dead," snapped Harry. "They might as well be dead already. What is the difference between _Professor Snape and the girls that makes you care so little for their lives and so value his life?"  _

"It's not that I don't care," said Dumbledore softly.  "It just not my decision.  It's theirs.  Choices," Dumbledore repeated. "People become the wizards they will be through their choices. They both chose, Harry.  It is not a choice you or I would have made, but it is their choice.  I heard Samara Donnally tell you she was going with Voldemort."

"To stop me," said Harry.  "She wanted to stop me and Hermione from getting hurt."

"Harry, you forget.  I was there.  I heard what she said."  
  


"You didn't hear the parseltongue!" shouted Harry.  "You didn't hear her insult Voldemort first."

"Harry, we've all lost friends to Voldemort one way or another.  Sometimes through death and sometimes through the friend's seeking the power of the Dark.  It's very insidious, the power of the Dark.  It's easy to believe that everything you want or need is contained there."  

His patient blue eyes and patronizing smile galled Harry.  It took everything Harry had to even listen to Dumbledore's sanctimonious words.  

 "The Dark is always filled with illusion and empty promises," said Dumbledore, "and when one of our own chooses that path, it hurts, but—"  Dumbledore took a deep breath and continued, his blue eyes unfocused and bright with tears.  "All we can do is accept their choice.  It is their choice after all—"

"I don't think either of them _chose_ to be dark witches. I thought maybe Samara was, when I felt her wand, but I changed my mind, and I _know_ Ginny and Beatrice aren't dark."

"Let's not forget Virginia Weasley has a Dark Mark."   Dumbledore sighed.  "I know Arthur does his best for his children, but it's different, I think, for a girl.  Perhaps the boys could handle the hand-me-down clothes and shortage of money in their lives. It was different for Virginia."

"Different for a girl?" Harry blinked and looked again—yes, he was serious. Dumbledore had always been—_different_—but had he finally stepped over the edge?  _Was he truly insane? Harry wondered.__   "It didn't matter to Ginny either," Harry said aloud.  "She loves her family."_

"Oh, I know she does, Harry, but she was not as contented as her family believed.  I spoke to Virginia after her episode with the diary.  She had poured out her lament about how unsatisfactory her life was.  She poured that lament out not only to me, but to Tom Riddle.  She measured herself against the girls in her year and found herself lacking.  Tom Riddle gave her a sense of pride in being herself.  I told her then, her ambition to be something more than the youngest Weasley was not bad in itself, but using ambition without regard to others feelings was dangerous." 

"Ambition does not make a wizard Dark," spat Harry, thinking that the Sorting Hat had told him he had a thirst to prove himself.  He could still feel that ambition flowing through him, ambition to save his friends no matter what. Ambition could be a good thing.  

"And I don't believe Ginny Weasley chose the Dark Mark.  If you want to believe that, if it makes you feel better, soothes your conscience—" Harry made a strangled noise and turned away, so angry that he wanted to pull his wand.  He wanted to force Dumbledore to do something. Anything.  He had no right to be so indifferent.  He was the headmaster.  He was the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared. _Why_ was he feared when he seemed so powerless? Wasn't he supposed to protect them all?

"What about Beatrice?  What about your Prophecy Child?" spat Harry, his righteous anger was bubbling up unchecked.  He had never felt like this when Dumbledore was supposed to be protecting him.  He had his mother's protection.  He had his own wand, but when others were threatened, it tore him apart.  Beatrice and Samara were raised in Muggle households.  No matter that when he had faced Voldemort in his first year he did not have any more knowledge than they did.  In fact, he probably had considerably less, but Harry felt angry on behalf of Samara and Beatrice. They were supposed to be protected.  

"So what are you doing?" he asked Dumbledore.  "Nothing?  Nothing at all?"

Dumbledore sighed.  "I probably shouldn't tell you this," he said.

"Oh by all means, don't tell Harry Potter anything—" spat Harry, spinning around and glaring venomously at the headmaster.

"I'm sorry, Harry.  I deserved that," said Dumbledore. 

_You deserve a lot more than that_, thought Harry acidly, but he let Dumbledore continue. 

"But I never kept anything from you to hurt you.  I only thought of your protection.  From the first, you were placed with the Dursley's, with your mother's blood. I know that you didn't have the sort of life I would have wished for you, Harry, but you were safe."

Dumbledore paced away and gathered up some tidbits to feed to Fawkes, who rubbed his head lovingly against Dumbledore.  "Keeping you safe was of prime importance. The prophecy, Trelawney's prophecy, made it very clear that only you would be marked by Voldemort. We couldn't afford to have you die as a child."

Harry rubbed his hand unconsciously over his forehead.

"Yes, Harry. Your scar. You were marked as the only one who could defeat him. And professor Trelawney predicted it."

"Did she now?" said Harry, fastening his relentless gaze on Dumbledore.  "I don't seem to remember anything in the prophecy you gave me about me being marked as the only one who can defeat Voldemort. So when are you going to tell me the _whole prophecy?" Harry asked._

Dumbledore looked at him, blue eyes intense, and when Harry didn't look away, Dumbledore hung his head and sighed.  "Perhaps I should have told you this long ago.  Surely, I should have told you at the beginning of this year.  Severus said—well, never mind what Severus said." Dumbledore recited the prophecy from memory.

=

As his equal the Dark Lord will mark

A child whose power he knows not

Another child invited into the dark

And a child who was not sought

Either must die at the hand of the other 

Neither can live while the other survives.

Protected once by the love of his mother

Blood of a mother forever saves lives.

At the height of the Dark Lord's Power

A Babe will lay him low.

Yet he will arise through his flower

Essences of friend, father and foe.

For within have snake and phoenix warred

But Phoenix must surely rule

For this bird rises again and again

And Eating Death is the fuel.

Will he Riddle the past with pain

Or Riddle the future with glory?

Six lives or deaths hang in time by three

Brave children who'll mend the story.

The foe unnamed falls to magic unknown

Magic born as the seventh month dies.

By magic and blood the rift is sown

Devoid of all time. Devoid of all lies

=

"Unknown, Harry.  Magic unknown is the key. Whatever I tell you, I risk telling you something that would break the prophecy's power."

"Ok," said Harry, thinking the opposite: wasn't the whole point of a prophecy to _tell** people about the future. Then actually **__telling people the prophecy wouldn't change the future, would it? Harry left those thoughts for later and concentrated on the girls. "But what about Ginny, Samara and Beatrice?  Who's going after them?"_

"We don't even know where they are, Harry.  The Death Eaters Apparate or use a portkey. We don't have a geographic location, and even if we did, I'm not sure the girls _want _to be rescued."

"I'm not going to just leave them there," Harry said, his voice cracking.

Dumbledore nodded.  "I know." He sighed as if uncertain what to reveal.  At last he spoke again. "You must promise you will not try to rescue them."

Harry said nothing.

"They are not abandoned."  Dumbledore sighed. "You cannot reveal what I am about to tell you."

Harry nodded.

"There is a secret group of wizards that have worked together through the last war.  You heard me say that I wanted to alert the old crowd last year.  Well, they have been alerted.  The Order of the Phoenix has been reinstated."  He stroked Fawkes as he spoke.  "We are doing all that can be done.

Harry doubted that.  "Ok," he said in defeat and turned to leave. "Thanks for your time," he said flatly.    

"Harry—" Dumbledore called after him.  "It will be ok.  Try to relax. Concentrate on your school work. Lemon drop?"  
  


"No thank you."  He left Dumbledore's chambers without looking back.

++

"Well?" asked Ron when he got back to the common room.

Harry shook his head.  "He's not going to do anything.  He said there are adult wizards who are working on it—"

"Well, maybe there are," interrupted Hermione.

Harry scowled. "And us kiddies should just concentrate on our school work, eat some candy and forget about them," continued Harry caustically.  

"We should talk to Sirius," said Hermione.

Harry sat beside Ron and ran his hands through his hair and over his forehead.  He realized that the headache that had plagued him for so long was gone.  It had been gone since Samara had last healed him. "Hermione," he asked, "do you know how many Dark witches and wizards have been healers?"

  
"I don't know an exact number, but not that many," said Hermione. "Maybe that's why Voldemort wants the prophecy child: because she's a healer.  I imagine that the dark wizards need healing, too, on occasion."

"Yeah," said Harry, rubbing his hand over his scar. He remembered that Samara was tired even after the healing she did on him and that was voluntary. He shuddered to think what Voldemort would want her to heal.

"Hermione, I think we were wrong about Samara's wand.  I don't think Samara is a dark witch."

"I—don't think so either," said Hermione slowly.  "But—"

"And I know Beatrice isn't."

"No," said Hermione.

"And whether or not Ginny has a Dark Mark—"

"She's still my sister," stated Ron firmly.

Hermione reached out and took Ron's hand in her own. Harry nodded.

There were a few minutes of silence around the table, everyone thinking about their three friends imprisoned by the Dark Lord.  Harry felt his breath catch thinking of the fear and the pain of the _Crucio when he last met the Dark Lord.  His imagination then traveled to the Chamber of Secrets and he remembered holding Ginny's limp body.  What tortures had that Snake thought up for her now—her and Samara and Beatrice?_

"So when are we going?" asked Ron softly.

"I'm not sure," answered Harry, thinking he should have gone already. 

Hermione reached out and took Harry's hand in hers too.

"Soon," said Harry gently squeezing Hermione's hand.   "Soon."  
  


++

Today was the first day of the Christmas break.  An entire week had passed since Samara and Ginny had disappeared with the Dark Lord, and during that time, Harry had railed again and again at Dumbledore to no avail.  It seemed as if Dumbledore had already written all three of the girls off. 

Like a string wound too tight and ready to break, Harry settled at the far end of the Gryffindor table with his friends, Ron and Hermione.  He didn't want to disturb anyone else with his admittedly morose mood.  He thought about his parents and Cedric, lost to death, and now Samara and Ginny and Beatrice.  If he had recognized Samara for what she was when she healed him, what difference would that have made?  Neville came in and sat silently a seat away.

Harry continued to pick at his food as a group of Ravenclaws came into the Great Hall. Cho was with them. One year had passed since he had been jealous of Cedric for taking Cho to the Yule ball.  It seemed like a lifetime ago.  His eyes were still drawn to her.  He still thought her pretty.  She was talking to her friend, Ananda, saying something about this "Dark Prophecy Child."

Harry pricked up his ears, unabashedly listening.  If Cho knew anything that would help them recover Samara, he wanted to know about it.

"Of course she's dark," Cho said.  "Everyone knows she went of her own free will.  I never liked her myself.  Remember how she always sided with the Slytherins when she came to Ravenclaw?"

"She didn't," said Ananda. "She sided with Aldwin."

"She said Slytherins didn't make the choices, and we all know they did.  Half of them can't wait to be Death Eaters.  Well, I can tell you one thing: once I get my auror's certificate, there will be a few less of them." Cho raised her eyes and glared at the Slytherin table. "I'm glad the aurors will hunt her down."

"Cho, you don't mean that," said Ananda.

"You've never lost someone you loved," her eyes filled with tears.  "Cedric—"   she sniffed and wiped her eyes.  "I still miss him so much, Ananda, and to think those Death Eaters were in my very own house.  Samara and Gloria—"

"Gloria's a baby," said Ananda.  "She's not even twelve yet, and she's never done anything to you."

"She chose Voldemort," said Cho. "That's enough."  
  


"Hi Hermione," said Ananda as the Gryffindor approached the Ravenclaw table.  

"Want to sit with us?" asked Cho, scooting over to make room for another chair at the table. 

Harry practically ground his teeth, wondering how Hermione could sit with them. But she refused. 

"No," said Hermione.  "I just wanted to ask you a question."

"Sure," said Cho, obviously expecting something academic.  

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about the Prophecy child going dark," said Hermione.  "Do you think she planned to be dark?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, I don't know, but I think it does.  Sometimes decisions made in haste are regretted later."

"Not something like that, Hermione," said Cho, brushing her hair back with a flourish.

"So what do you think she should have done?"  Hermione questioned with a frown.  "If he demanded with his wand trained on her, demanded that she come with him, what should she have done?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore answered that question," said Cho.  "He said some of us would be tested, and asked to choose between what is right and what is easy. He said we shouldn't compromise what is right."

"So she should have died?"

Cho nodded.  "If that was the only way she could have avoided going with him. Yes.  She should have died rather than compromise her principles."

"Is that what you would have done, Cho?" Hermione asked her voice soft.

"Of course," Cho snapped.  "I'm no Death Eater."

Hermione shook her head thoughtfully as if a notion had just occurred to her.  "I don't think you would have, Cho.  I think you would have gone with him too," Hermione said softly.

"How dare you!" snapped Cho, coming to her feet.

Harry stood too, wand drawn, but Ron laid a hand on Harry, restraining him.  "Let Hermione finish it," he whispered.

"No, I don't think you would have died for your principles," Hermione reasoned calmly.  "You see, if you were that brave, you would have been sorted into Gryffindor, wouldn't you?"

Cho sputtered for a moment and then her mouth hung open, speechless. 

"Is that what happened?" asked Ananda.  "There are rumors all over school.  You were there."

"No," said Hermione.  "That isn't what happened.  The choice was not between going with him or dying—"

"Well, see—" began Cho, but Hermione interrupted her.   

"The choice was between going with him or watching Harry and I die."

"Oh—" said Ananda, her mouth freezing into a small o shape.

"Sometimes," said Hermione softly, "there is no good choice." She walked back to the Gryffindor table and Ron put an arm around her shoulders.  "I'm not very hungry," she said.  

"Want to go back to the room?" asked Ron.

Hermione nodded silently and the two of them, wrapped in each other's arms left the Great Hall.

Harry sat for a moment longer and then, when Dumbledore left the head table, he decided to follow.  _One more time, he thought.  He'd try one more time to get Dumbledore to see that Samara was not a dark witch.  He caught up with Dumbledore just before he entered his office, and he invited Harry in.  _

"Lemon drop?" he asked.  

Harry refused, his stomach was already arguing with his breakfast.  "It's about Samara," Harry said.  "She isn't a dark witch and neither is Ginny."

"I'm not unsympathetic," said Dumbledore. "But we've been over this ground before. I believe Samara went of her own free will, and Virginia Weasley, unfortunately, has a Dark Mark"

"So does Snape!" shouted Harry, "but you helped him!"

"Snape sought my assistance," said Dumbledore.  "Even I could not have plucked him from Voldemort's stronghold.  No matter how much faith you have in my power, it is not so great."

Harry wondered why he had any faith at all in Dumbledore's power.  The more he thought about it, the less faith he had.  Dumbledore had always been a little off—Harry remembered him giving them the words: nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak as inspiration in first year.  Still, everyone said that Dumbledore was the only one Voldemort feared.

"Please," Harry whispered.  "Professor, I need your help."

Dumbledore sucked thoughtfully on his lemon drop.  "No," he said at last.  "You do not need my help.  I believe it is Samara's help you need.  Alas, that is not to be."  Fawkes lifted from his perch and flew to Dumbledore's shoulder.  He laid his beautiful head against Dumbledore's cheek, and Dumbledore stroked his feathers.  

When he finally realized that nothing was going to change Dumbledore's mind, Harry stalked out of the office and glanced at his watch.  He was still early for his meeting with Sirius, but he needed the cold clear air to cool his anger.  He decided to walk slowly, and consider what he could say to his godfather to make him understand.

_Surely he would not be so cold and unfeeling_, thought Harry as he headed for Hagrid's hut for the meeting with Sirius.

++

Harry paced the length of Hagrid's hut as if he wanted to wear a hole in the floor. The black robes billowing out behind him, as he emphasized his words with his wand.  "Samara is not a dark witch!"

"Harry, sit down," urged Sirius.

"We all had our doubts about her wand, but I'm telling you, she protected us.  That has to count for something.  Dumbledore is certain that she took down the Hogwart's wards, but she's not dark.  You should have heard her speaking to Voldemort."

"No one heard her parseltongue but you Harry," said Hermione.

"But she protected us.  Didn't she?  You even told Cho—"

Hermione nodded.  "She did, but I'm still not sure, Harry.  I just didn't like Cho's attitude.  In the end, Samara did tell us to get out—she was going with Voldemort, and she did have his basilisks crawling all over her body."  Hermione shuddered

"Yeh know, they ain't rightly dangerous till they open their eyes," said Hagrid sipping his tea.  "Just a little pinch of a bite—Not nearly as terrible as dragons—"

Harry stared at him.

"What do you think, Ron?" asked Hermione.

"About what?" asked Ron listlessly?  His tear-streaked face was blank, his thoughts a million miles away with Ginny, his little sister.

"What do your parents say?" asked Sirius gently. "I wish I could go to them—offer my condolences. Damn Wormtail."

"Not condolences," said Harry. "She's not dead.  Offer your help!  You escaped from Azkaban!  That has to be worse than escaping from Voldemort."

"Harry, you don't understand," said Sirius.  "Dumbledore has reinstated the Order of the Phoenix.  There are wizards working on finding them—"

"Finding them and killing them," spat Harry, his voice rising with his anger. "He believes Samara is dark. He believes she went of her own free will.  The aurors will kill her.  And Ginny—well, he didn't rush into the Chamber to save her in second year, did he?  He just wrote her off—sent Lockhart—hired Lockhart—"

"He wasn't there," began Hermione.

"He's _never_ there!" shouted Harry.  "Voldemort was right. Late as usual Dumbledore—"

"Ye won't be talking ill of Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid gruffly.  "Even if I like ye, Harry. Ye won't be talking ill—"

"He's just upset," said Sirius gently.  "We all are."

There was a long silence as Hermione and Ron just stared at Harry.

"Mum said Ginny might as well be dead," said Ron, the tears overtaking him again. "But in the next breath she was calling the Ministry—I tried to tell her Fudge was dark—" Ron shook his head tiredly and put it on the table.

"We'll find them," said Harry.  "With or without your help, Sirius—"

"Now just a minute," said Sirius.  "I never said I wouldn't help."

"Well, you need to make up your mind," said Hermione testily.  "The train leaves in fifteen minutes."

"I suppose I'm coming with you," snapped Sirius.  "If I don't, you'll just go yourselves anyway."

"You have that right," said Harry.  "So is everything set at your house, Hermione?"

She nodded. 

"I don't like involving the Muggles," voiced Sirius.  

"My parents will give us the most freedom of motion," said Hermione.  "They don't even know there _is_ a Dark Lord.  If we stay with the Weasley's, we'll just be confined and treated like children."

Sirius looked at the ceiling and rolled his eyes, as if to say, _you are children,_ but he refrained from actually saying the words and, for that, Harry was grateful.

"So what did your parents say about your spending Christmas break with Hermione?" Sirius asked Ron.  

"Oh, Dad was ecstatic for me.  Imagine spending Christmas in a real Muggle house!  And then Mum said she thought I should stay home.  She said, we should all be together especially since Ginny—" Ron bit his lip. "I told them, I couldn't stand the house without her there and they relented.  Percy isn't coming for Christmas dinner either.  He says he has to work."

"The Ministry's closed," said Sirius.

Ron shrugged.

"We're going to miss the train if we don't get going," said Hermione, and they stood, gathering up their belongings and heading across the snow-covered lawn. 

"We could just Apparate," said Harry.

"I know," said Hermione, "but it's against the rules."

"Everyone else is," said Ron, who was finally getting a little better at Apparating, but both Hermione and Harry held their breath every time he did it. 

"We should wait until we're licensed," said Hermione. 

And, because they had Hermione with them, they arrived back at Gryffindor tower after a trudge through the snow.  

"_Passim Pacem," said Harry.___

"Indeed," agreed the fat lady.  "We can certainly hope for peace far and wide, but I wouldn't hold my breath, Harry.  Of course, holding my breath is certainly no unusual feat.  There are some pictures who have never breathed, did you know?"

"I didn't," Harry confessed while walking away from the portrait hole. "I guess I should pay more attention to details like that."

"Indeed you should," called the fat lady.  "Pictures can teach you many things, if you simply look."

Sirius shook himself vigorously and trotted over to the fire.  Brushing the ice from the bottom of their robes, the trio began a last check before leaving for Christmas break.

"Do you think they'll have the Apparition wards fixed by the time we come back?" asked Hermione.

"_If_ we come back," said Ron.  "McGonagall is still saying they might close the school.  They need certain compatible wizards to set the wards properly."

"Well no wonder," said Hermione.  "Those wards have been up since the beginning of the school.  I was reading in **Hogwarts a History**, they were set up by—" her voice trailed off a worried look in her eyes.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"The wards were set up by the founders," said Hermione.

"Something else Salazar screwed around with," spat Harry.

Neville met them in the common room.  "I was waiting for you," he said.  "I wanted to tell you goodbye. Gran doesn't want me to come back next year."

"What!" the trio cried in unison.

"She thinks it's too dangerous with—with the kidnapping and the Lestrange brothers here."

"Oh Neville!"  Hermione threw her arms around him and hugged him.  "We'll miss you."

"Are you going after them?  I want to come with you."  Neville said quietly.  The soft light of an Apparition appeared in the corner of the room.  "Are you going after them?" he asked again.

"Just the question I wanted to ask," said Draco Malfoy, who had just Apparated into the room and was leaning nonchalantly against the sofa, his soft green robe clashing horribly with the deep red of the sofa.

"You can't do that!" snapped Hermione.  "You can't Apparate right into someone else's common room."

Neville had pulled his wand and held it trained on Draco.

"I was under the impression," said Draco brushing an imaginary piece of lint from his robe, "that I just did."  He stepped forward and with his thumb and forefinger turned the tip of Neville's wand away from himself.  "So when is this little rescue going to take place?" he asked, turning back to Harry.

"Why?" snapped Harry.  "Do you need to tell Voldemort?"

"Why no, Potter.  I expect he'll know about it without my intervention, but I did want to tell you that Samara's in no condition to travel, yet.  You should wait."

"What's wrong with her?" said Harry alarmed.

Draco shrugged.  "She may be dying."  He studied his fingernails as if wondering if he should get a manicure when he got home.

"What?" snapped Harry.

"And what about Ginny?" growled Ron, grabbing the unsuspecting Draco by the collar of his robe and shoving him up against the wall.  "What did you _Death Eaters do to her?" _

"Why nothing, Weasel," drawled Draco. "She did everything for herself.  She practically put on her own Dark Mark."

As Ron pulled back his fist for a punch, Draco finally reacted, a handful of flame setting Ron's sleeve on fire.

"**_Glacio flagro,_**" said Hermione, freezing the flame

"And I was s-o-o trying to hold my temper," Draco said in a bored voice.  "I understand, your being so distraught about your sister and all—"

"You don't understand anything," screamed Ron, nursing his burnt hand.

"You're the one that took Samara to Voldemort," accused Harry.

"Yes, well, now I want her back."

 "If you wanted her back," said Harry, "you shouldn't have given her to him in the first place."

"When's the rescue?" Draco persisted.

"Why didn't you ask some of your Slytherin friends for help?" asked Harry.  "Why us?"

"You misunderstand.  I'm not asking you for your help, Potter.  I'm giving the help."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Draco sighed.  "Because none of my Slytherin friends are dumb enough to try this sort of stunt."  He shrugged.  "Besides, I wouldn't have taken her in the first place if she hadn't needed his protection."

"What!" All three of them stared at him.  

"Protection from what?" asked Harry.

"Not what, Potter. Who.  Dumbledore had put her in the Chamber of Chains."

Harry frowned.  "Where?"

Sirius whined at Harry's feet.

Draco glanced down at the dog.  "Your godfather knows," said Draco.  "Why don't you ask him about the Chamber of Chains?"

Harry kept his eyes solidly on Draco.  Draco couldn't possibly know about Sirius.  He couldn't know that Sirius was an animagus.  He couldn't know that the black dog was Sirius, and yet— "Why don't _you_ tell us," said Harry.

"Because you wouldn't believe me," said Draco.  "Send me an owl, Ok. Before you go."  He paced towards the door.  "And don't put anything stupid in it, in case my mother intercepts it."

"Forget it Malfoy," said Ron.  "We don't need you—"

"On the contrary," said Draco. "Without me, you don't have a chance in hell of bringing either of them back alive."

"So why are you doing this?' asked Harry.

"I thought I made myself clear," said Draco.  "I want Samara back—alive—"

"You really care about her," said Hermione.  "You love her."

Draco stared at her thoughtfully for a moment.  "Better go back to the non-fiction tomes, Mudblood.  The fairy tales are starting to addle your brain."  He raised his wand, **_"Itare phantasma!"_**

"So, do we trust him?" asked Harry.

"Are you out of your mind?  Mudbloods-and-Muggle-lovers-first Malfoy?  He just wants to know what we are doing, the sneaky little ferret."

"I wish we could see his aura," said Neville. "Then we would know for sure."

"Samara saw his aura," said Harry.  "She trusted him."

"Yeah, and look where it got her," countered Ron. "Her and Ginny—Even if he wants to get Samara back, he won't care about Ginny."  
  


"Or Beatrice," added Hermione.

"So, we go alone?" asked Harry.

All around heads were nodding.

Sirius whined softly.

"We go alone," confirmed Hermione.

"And what about this Chamber of Chains?" wondered Harry.

"I don't know," said Hermione, patting Snuffles.  "But we don't have time to go back to Hagrid's hut.  We'd better go NOW or we're going to miss the train."

Snuffles whined in response.

"We'll see you at my house in a couple of days," Hermione whispered to Snuffles as she placed a kiss on the top of his furry black head.  

+++

15 reviews and the next chapter magically appears.

Answers to Reviews Below:

Claret345:  What a wonderful review!  Thanks for your glowing comments and most of all, thanks for saying specifically what you liked. (or disliked)

Tamora Pierce:  Thanks for your review

Tajua aki' el:  Sorry you thought there was a hold up.  Glad you found the fic though.

Tamara:  Here's the update as requested

XASA  Your comments made me realize some other folks who don't visit the group may have been waiting for the sequel, so I emailed my whole list.  Spread the word!  The sequel is here!

Emma:  Thanks for reading.  I don't recognize you from the previous fic, but of course your review is anonymous, so you may have reviewed under a different name.  If you haven't read the first book, you might want to read it.  You will find this one much better if you do.  You're going to miss a lot of the jokes and sometimes wonder where things came from.  For example, you missed the reference to "Quit" and Ginny's comment, "I know the feeling." If you didn't read the first fic.

Sky:  Glad to see you back Sky.  I've missed you.  And yes, Draco is still Draco!

Tiamat Warcraft:  Poor bunny. I hope it wasn't named Beatrice.

Terry:  Yes, that just about describes Volde—ick!  As far as Snape's loyalties.  Who knows?

Trillium:  I missed your long involved review.  Next time, highlight the whole thing and hit control c before you send it.  Then if fanfic eats it, you will still have your review and you can put in on notepad or something to save until fanfic is in a better mood.

Jager:  Still easing in, but lots of action is coming.

Silverfox:  I didn't say Sevi is going out with Luci.  I never said that.  I didn't.  Although I'm sure Volde would think, whatever works Lucius.  Hehehe.  

Garrett:  Loose ends?  You think there were loose ends?  Just wait.  (evil laughter)

Kemenran:  ok

Ennui deMorte:  Sending Ennui Helga's best cookies and hot chocolate.  Thanks for a wonderful job betaing this chapter, and also thanks for the great review.  I don't think Ginny's going to sic her basilisk on Draco no matter how much you want her to though.

OK,  GO REVIEW NOW.


	3. CH 3: Troublesome House Guests

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 3**

Troublesome House Guests 

++ 

Disclaimer:  All Potterverse belongs to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  Thanks JK.

++

Ginny had been at the Snow Castle for a week.  Strange though it seemed, the days had taken on a sort of normalcy.  She had classes, after a sort, with some of the Durmstrang students, although she wasn't at all sure that Dumbledore would approve of the curriculum or the teachers.  She had only seen Snape once briefly in the time that she had been here and there was no time for conversation.  She had not seen Voldemort at all except the first day when she spied him leaving Samara's room, and Samara was so watched it seemed like she was under guard.  There was no chance for Ginny to visit her, but she learned via the Durmstrang rumor mill that Samara's condition had neither improved nor deteriorated in the last week.  

Ginny had managed to keep Beatrice hidden for the most part, and no one was the wiser, except for Maura Rosier.  Her snake, Koschei, had smelled Beatrice and wanted to make a snack of her just one day after she arrived.  Beatrice was forced to transform back into a witch in front of Maura. Ginny came into the room to find them talking to one another.

"Fine," said Maura caustically.  "Just one more house guest."

"I'm sorry," said Beatrice.  "I didn't know where the portkey would take me when I went with my friends.  I don't really want to be here.  Will you help me?  Do you know a way I could use to get back?"

"If you'll take Voldemort and Carman with you when you go, it might be worth the risk," said Maura, stroking her snake absently with her forefinger.

After that, Maura made a special effort to steer the curious away from Ginny's room and, of course, Ginny had the room warded well.  In exchange for teaching Maura that ward, Maura had brought them extra food, but she couldn't get them out of the Snow Castle.  

"The only floo that is open to the outside is the one in my parents' old bedroom," she had told them. "Voldemort is using that room now, and I don't think it's wise to try to break into it.  You're welcome to try if you want to," she shrugged.  "But I don't want any part of it.  I think the easiest way to get Beatrice out of here is the same way she came in. Why don't you portkey with someone who is leaving?"

"Because," said Ginny, "we don't know anyone who is leaving."

"I'll keep my eyes open," Maura promised.  "One less houseguest," she proclaimed irritably.

++  
  


The trio picked up their belongings and raced for the Hogwarts Express.  The train began to move just seconds after they entered the train. There were no compartments empty so they joined a rather morose Fred and George who were sitting alone playing a rather sedate game of exploding snap.

After a while, George said, "Ron would you—and Hermione—floo to the burrow on Christmas day?"

"I planned to send an owl—"

Fred shook his head.  "I don't know if we'll be back.  We're going after her," he said softy.  "I can't stand to think of her captive—"

Ron bit his lip.  He hadn't told his brothers that Ginny used a portkey to leave of her own free will.  Perhaps now was the time.

"There's something I have to tell you," said Ron.  

"We're planning a rescue too," Hermione interrupted.

"But we're not sure if they want to be rescued," said Harry.

++

As the train continued to head for Kings Cross Station, Harry rubbed his scar.

"Well," said Hermione, "The first thing we need to do is plan when and where we are going to meet.  I think we should do it as soon as possible.  With a little luck maybe we can have them home before the holidays are over."

"I want to come with you," said Neville.

The trio looked at him for a moment and then he continued.  "Beatrice didn't leave me in Snape's room when I couldn't get my wand."

"Neville, we're not talking about Snape here," said Hermione.  "I know you want to help, but—"

Harry was remembering _Neville saying to him, "Do you think you could do an Unforgivable curse? There are some who deserve it." Remembering him bleeding.  Remembering his telling Snape to take another memory when he, Harry Potter, would have quit.  Remembering a lion patronus, strong and sure when he most needed it._ He flinched at Hermione's tone of voice and stuck out his hand, grasping Neville's.  "We're glad to have you," Harry said.

Neville nodded once.  

The trio spent most of the time on the Hogwarts Express making plans to meet at Hermione's house.  Because the twins had never been to Hermione's home, they couldn't Apparate there.  Neville, like Ron, wasn't very good at Apparition yet, so Harry and the twins worked on portkeys.  With their coaching, Hermione put the finishing touches on them by adding the intent to enter her kitchen.  

"Now, my parents will be at work during the day, but if you are going to use the portkey when my parents are home, it would be best if you owled first." 

"You know," said Harry, "we should think if we need anything else and do it now if we can."

"Portkey to the Riddle house?" suggested Hermione, if you still think that is where she is being held.

"Well, it's just a hunch, but yeah—"

 "And back," added Ron.  "I definitely want a portkey to get back."

Hermione grinned at him.  "Right, Ron.  We won't forget that."

"Well, we aren't supposed to use magic away from Hogwarts," said Harry.  "We're probably all right here on the Hogwarts Express.  We're used magic here before—"  Harry thought of the spells they used to hex Malfoy and his cronies on the train before.  "But I think if we use magic at Hermione's house, we might end up with the Department of Underage Magic at the door."

"Not if you don't use your wand," blurted Fred.

George kicked him.  Everyone else was gaping open mouthed at Fred. "Thanks, Fred," said George sarcastically. "Now not only can Ginny blackmail us, but so can Ron. If Mum finds out we've been doing wandless magic—"

"Ginny blackmailed you," said Ron.  "What—"

"And do you remember what she blackmailed us about?" said George, ignoring Ron.

"The clock," breathed Fred.

"What are you talking about?" said Ron. Frustrated that the twins continued to ignore him, he turned to vent. "They do this all the time," he explained to Harry and Hermione.  "I _hate when they do this twinspeak stuff."_

"Are we to understand that you two have done wandless magic at the Burrow?" asked Hermione.

"Well Samara said they did," said Harry.  He remembered the discussion with Samara vividly because it had kept him awake that night, wondering if her assessment of his own wandless magic was right.  Did he sic the snake on Dudley and blow up Aunt Marge on purpose?  It was not until later, that he and Samara had both decided his experience with wandless magic was only done on a broomstick. "So what's this about a clock?" Harry asked.  "Do you mean the clock that tells where all the Weasleys are?"

"The very one," said George.

"I think we might be able to figure out where Ginny is," said Fred.  "Mum was worried about all of us, so we improved the clock at home: made more specific locations. Before Ginny–um, left—the hand on Mum's clock said, 'at Azkaban.'  Mum thought we broke it and that it needed to be fixed.  We were laughing about it and Ginny asked us to fix her hand so it always said, 'at school.' We just thought she was growing up and didn't want Mum to know she wasn't her little angel anymore."

"So she really was at Azkaban?" wondered George.

"And she looked sick that morning," added Fred.  "When was that?"

"After Halloween," supplied George.

"They're doing it again," grumbled Ron. Then he interrupted the twins. "George, Fred, there's something else I should tell you," said Ron.  "The reason I couldn't—do anything for Ginny when Voldemort took her—"

"About time you answered that question," said Fred. 

"We're listening," added George.

"It was because Voldemort brought dementors.  I was trying to keep them off of your unconscious bodies."

Fred and George both paled.

"That's why it took you four days of constant chocolate in the hospital wing," said Ron.  "Not because of Samara's shield or your spell."

"And he'll still have them, won't he?" said George.

Harry nodded.  "How's your patronus?"

"Ok," said Fred, "But it's never been tested against real dementors."

"And when did you do wandless magic?" blurted Ron.  "I live with you guys.  How could I have missed this?"

"Donno," said Fred.

"Canary Creams," said George with a shudder. "I had a headache for half the summer."

"But the Ton Tongue Taffies were easier," said Fred.  "We were better able to handle the magic."

"That's the time Ginny caught us," said George.  "Mum had taken all we had and we so wanted to get your cousin Dudley to try them."

The little groups started laughing and reminiscing.

"I still can't believe Ginny had the guts to blackmail us," said Fred at last.  "After the favor we did her, allowing her to make some money selling the makeup potion."  Fred frowned.  "Hey George, what do you think she was doing with all of that makeup potion."

"I donno. Selling it, I guess. That's what she said she wanted to do with it—"  George's voice dwindled off.  "You don't think she—"

"I think so—" said Fred.  "She even said she was selling it to the Slytherins."

"And they would pay those exorbitant prices," whispered George. "If they needed it—"

"To cover a Dark Mark," moaned Fred, burying his face in his hands.  "Our potion has been covering their Dark Marks all year."

"And Ginny!" said George.  "If she wanted us to fix the clock and she's been selling the potion to cover the Slytherins' Dark Marks, then—"

"Don't you say it!" snapped Fred.  "This is Ginny you're talking about. Our baby sister."

"Guys," Ron interrupted gently. "There's one more thing you should know about Ginny—"

"What's that?" asked George.

"She used a portkey. You-Know-Who said, 'Virginia, use your portkey,' and she did."

++

Before they left the train, Ron pulled his brothers into a quick hug, saying "We'll get her back." 

Moments later, his mum, waving and calling, found them at King's Cross Station.

Hermione's mum and dad were both waiting too.  The cold drizzle had them huddling close together under one big umbrella.

Hermione hugged her mum and dad, and then Harry held out his hand to Hermione's dad.  "It's good to see you again, Sir," he said. 

"Harry—isn't it?" 

"Yes, Sir."

"Thank you for having us at your home through the Holiday," added Ron.

"Oh, according to her letters, I don't think Hermione would have come home without you," said her dad, with a grin at his daughter, and Hermione busied herself brushing Crookshanks hair from her cloak.  "I'll go get the car," he said after winking at his daughter.

Ron blushed bright red.

"Well, I have so much homework," Hermione added.  "Harry and Ron and I are working on a project."

"I know dear," added her mother.  "You told us you have a lot of work, but you are on holiday—"

"Well, getting ready for OWLs—" began Hermione.

"I thought we could go Christmas shopping," interrupted Hermione's mother, "and maybe have dinner in London before we go home."  

Harry had the distinct feeling that Hermione wasn't even speaking the same language as her mum.

"Mum," said Hermione, "I hope you didn't take a lot of time off from work.  I really do have a project that we are working on—"

"Alright," said her mum with a sigh as they put their belongings in the trunk of the white Mercedes.

Traffic was terrible and the Grangers decided they should stop at a restaurant and allow the rush hour traffic to clear.  Harry ate his food without really tasting it, but he smiled and dutifully said how good everything was.  They got back in the car and, although Harry and Ron talked for a little while, the lull of the car combined with Hermione's mum's discussion of fashion and music started to put Harry to sleep. He awoke just before they pulled up to Hermione's house.

"Well, we're here," said Hermione.

Harry looked out of the car window as they drove up the winding red brick driveway to a brick garage, which matched the beautiful Victorian brick home.  Hermione's dad reached something above his head and the garage door opened.

"Just like _Alohomora_," commented Ron.

They carried their trunks into the Granger home.  The carpet was Gryffindor red, Harry noticed, and nothing was out of place.  It looked like Hermione's mum arranged glass around her house like Hermione arranged books.  There were several on every flat surface in the house.

"Who has a white sofa?" muttered Ron.

"Someone without little kids," Harry murmured back.

"I'll be afraid to touch anything," said Ron and Harry had to agree.  The place looked like a museum.

"Just make yourselves at home," said Hermione's mum.

Ron snorted and turned it into a cough.

"Do your parents really live here?" asked Harry.

Hermione laughed.  "They both work a lot.  They really live at the office, so that should work out fine for us.  I'll show you to the guest room," Hermione said a little louder. "Mum said you could each have your own room if you wanted to, but I thought you might want to share a room.  It's smaller, but it has the twin beds.  Mum picked them up at an antique auction last year.  And my room is right across the hall.  Stow your trunks and come back down stairs.  I'm not too interested in Muggle television, but on the first night home, Mum and Dad always like me to sit with them in front of it."

Harry, who knew about television but never got to watch it, was fascinated by it.  Ron sounded like a miniature version of his father as he asked how everything worked.  They started to watch a story, but Hermione's father changed the station to a soccer game that was remarkably easy to follow.( Let's ask on group what sports would be playing on tv in Britian at Christmas?  What do you think?) The family discussed the players and the game play at length.  When it was over, the News came on.

Harry watched in growing horror as he listened to accounts of people fleeing the suburban mall, just a few kilometers away.  It seemed something frightened the people who were previously just cueing up with their children for a chat with Father Christmas.  Something frightened the people so much that they tore out of line and didn't slow until they were completely out of the mall.  

"Two people are in critical condition in the local hospital," said the newscaster. "Although it is unclear what happened to them in the first place, it is assumed that they were trampled in the rush."

"Dementors," muttered Hermione, looking worriedly at the boys.

Harry nodded, and stretched.  "Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll go to bed," said Harry. "It's been a long day. Coming Ron?"

"In a minute," said Ron, catching Hermione's hand.

Harry smiled slightly and shook his head. "Alright."

++

When Ron entered the room he was sharing with Harry, Harry stopped pacing and looked at him. "We have to find Samara," said Harry. "Remember what Parvati said?

_"Upon this one child rests the future of the wizarding world._

"The longer Samara stays with Voldemort, the more chance that he will somehow force her to his side and the prophecy says that could be the end of us all. We need her on the side of Light.  We need to do this now!" exclaimed Harry, exasperated. "The dementors on the news just reinforce how important this is."

"Harry, it's dark outside.  We don't even know where she is."

"The Riddle house," said Harry. "I could Apparate—"

"No," said Ron firmly. "Just because you haven't had any brushes with You-Know-Who recently when you've Apparated doesn't mean that you're safe. Remember, Professor Sinistra said that most Apparition mistakes are made when you're tired.  All we need is for you to splinch yourself. We've waited this long—"

"Too long," added Harry.

"Come on, Harry, buck up," said Ron. "Tomorrow we'll look for the recipe for the Locator Potion and try to trace her whereabouts."

"I'm worried," whispered Harry.  

"I know," said Ron morosely. "We all are. I just wish we knew how to find them."

++

In the morning, Hermione knocked on the boy's door and motioned them to follow her into her room. "I know how to find them," she said, dropping the huge volume of _Most Potente Potions_ on her bed.  "I remembered Professor Snape mentioning the Locator Potion last year, but I couldn't find a recipe."  She flipped open the book.  "Well, I found it. Here's the recipe," she said.

"So, you think we should make this potion?" asked Harry.

"It could help us locate her since we have no other options," said Hermione as she cleared off her desk to make room for the  muggle style hot plate.  She turned it on and put a number 2 cauldron half filled with water on it.

"I think we should go to the Riddle House first," said Harry.

"You think so?" asked Ron. "Wouldn't the Ministry look there first?"

"Maybe, but sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight," said Hermione.

"Well, at least it's a simple potion," said Ron.  "Do you have Samara's possession?" he asked Hermione.

"Right here," said Hermione, holding up a piece of yellowed paper.

"What is it?" asked Harry,

"A page from her book," answered Hermione. "In fact, I brought the whole thing." She held up the book.

"Keep it on that side of the room," said Harry, who was extremely sensitive to the Dark Magic that was contained in the book.  "Of course, even if the potion doesn't trace Samara's whereabouts, it might trace Voldemort's."

Ron shuddered.  "I wish you wouldn't say his name."

"I wish you would," said Harry.

They grinned at each other as Hermione stirred the potion with her wand.  "Ron, would you rip that page into pieces about a centimeter square and drop them into the potion?"

While Ron was tearing up the page, Harry asked, "What do your parents say about you brewing in your room?"

"Oh, they don't mind," said Hermione. "They understand.  It's rather similar to the Chemistry classes they took in college.  In fact, the hot plate was my Dad's suggestion.  He was tired of Mum complaining about the potion messes on the kitchen stove.

"Wouldn't this work better with something more personal?" asked Ron.

"More personal than _that_ book?" said Hermione "Are you kidding?"

"Well, I meant like hair or fingernail clippings."

"Oh, I couldn't find any of those," said Hermione.  "Ginny started _Accioing her hair and _Incendioing_ it back in October.  Probably something Snape said in Advanced Defense… Anyway, Samara started doing the same thing."_

"Well, after that hag at Knockturn Alley wanted your hair," said Harry.  "It's a wonder you weren't concerned too."

Hermione shook her head.  "I think it was more for protection from someone making polyjuice and masquerading as one of us to get close to you Harry.  Of course, with Beatrice in our room, that would be pretty dangerous anyway," said Hermione with a grin. "I don't think they'd feel any better about being half bunny than I felt about being half cat.  Of course Samara and Ginny didn't _see_ me turn into catwoman."  Hermione shuddered.  "So they only had a notion, in theory, of how dangerous animagi would be to polyjuice."  Hermione turned off the hotplate with a twist of a knob near the burner.

"Ok, it is ready," she said.  "Let's have a look before it cools."

The threesome crowded around the cauldron as if it were a pensieve.

"What do you see?" asked Hermione after awhile.

"Nothing.  Just white," said Ron.

"It looks like—snow," said Harry.  "Does anything look familiar to either of you?"

"Well, as familiar as snow," said Ron.  "But that doesn't tell us much about location."

"Maybe North of here," said Hermione.

"Did you have a look outside?" asked Ron.  "It's snowing now.  It's not sticking, but—" Ron shrugged.  "It could be anywhere."

"The Riddle House," said Harry.  "I could Apparate over—"

"No wands," interrupted Hermione.

"You used your wand to stir the potion," said Harry.  

"I've done that before," said Hermione, "and never alerted the Ministry officials.  I think it's minor magic and it's below the activation threshold for the Ministy Department of Underage Magic.

"Why don't we just all use the portkey you made?" said Hermione.  "That way, we can all stay together and still take a quick look."

"What about the twins?" said Ron. "They wanted to come with us."

"Well, if Ginny's there," said Harry, "we might need their help. We'll come back to get them, but if she's not, we'll have to think of another way to locate her.  They can come then."

Harry pulled two scrolls of parchment out of his trunk.  One was tied with green ribbon and had a small green snake drawn on it.  The other was tied with red ribbon and had a small red snake drawn on it.  "Let's go," said Harry.

"That's the portkey?" asked Hermione.

Harry nodded and held up the red-ribboned parchment which he put into his pocket.  "Green for going and red for coming back here."

Hermione looked at the parchments for a moment.  "I don't know about portkeying directly to the Riddle house," said Hermione nervously. 

"Oh, it's not right into the house," said Harry.

"So it's the grounds?"

"Um. No. Actually, it's the graveyard behind it.  I wasn't sure I had a clear enough picture of the inside of the house.  I've only seen it in a dream, but I remember the graveyard vividly."  Harry smiled a rather rueful smile.

"Well let's do it then" said Hermione reaching for the portkey.

Ron drew his wand with his right hand and reached out with his left.

"Riddle house," said Harry, and he felt the familiar tug behind his navel.

++

Harry thought it looked strange to be standing in the middle of the snow with no footprints leading to or fro. The ice encrusted on the yew tree made it look pure and innocent as it glinted in the sun.  He had inadvertently portkeyed himself to exactly the same place as he was portkeyed to last year. The first thing Harry saw when he appeared in the graveyard was Tom Riddle's cracked and ruined tombstone. A layer of pristine white snow lay upon the broken gravestone softening its stark angles. Side by side were the names, Thomas Riddle and Thomas S. Riddle.  Between them was an angel statue with a broken wing, but the inscription was obscured by snow.  He turned to see the spot where Cedric had fallen, the angel standing watch proudly, her broken wing bore witness to her brush with the devil, and yet, the devil had not beaten him.

Harry could not help remembering the last time he had been here.  _The cauldron was there. Wormtail lay on the ground there.  And Voldemort, Voldemort stood there when he said, "You have been taught to duel, Harry Potter."  The soft fatality of that voice would ring in his ears forever and yet, he had escaped. _Death Eaters had Apparated and came from the trees beyond but he had escaped. _ Yes, he had escaped, but Voldemort rose anew because he, Harry Potter, was too weak to be able to stop him from taking his blood.  Harry shuddered and pulled himself out of the memory._

Hermione and Ron already started to walk toward the house, but Harry glanced back at the gravestones. _He had hidden behind that very gravestone.  He remembered telling Samara about the event. "I'm not very brave," she had said. "I would have been so scared." And he told her he was scared too._  He had been in Voldemort's company for a few terrifying minutes.  Samara had been in his company for one week and one day.  Harry turned and hurried after his friends.

As they approached the door, Harry began to wonder if this was a good idea after all.     The place looked deserted.  He shivered and wanted to turn back.

"Do you feel that?" asked Ron.

Harry nodded, realizing what it was that was undermining his courage, and making him want to run away. "Wards," said Harry.

Hermione raised her wand frowning, "Nothing difficult," she said, "but they've been reset recently. The wards will interfere with any magic we do here or inside the house," said Hermione.  

"Well, that's Ok," said Ron. "At least we won't have to worry about the Ministry showing up."

Hermione shook her head.  "**_Alohomora_**," she said, and the door opened, squeaking ominously.

Harry suppressed the urge to laugh.  _Just like a haunted house_, he thought. Once inside, the urge to laugh disappeared.  The marble floor and green carpet were covered with dust.  Several stains marred the pale carpet and Harry could imagine that what he smelled was the metallic scent of blood.

It certainly doesn't look like anyone has been here for a while," said Hermione.

"Voldemort was here last year," said Harry, thinking about his vision of Voldemort _Crucioing_ Wormtail.  "He was upstairs."

"Let's have a look then," said Ron. "Which way?"

"I don't know," said Harry.

As they passed the dining room, the garish red of spray paint caught Harry's eye.  Written across the walls were generations of Muggles' names.  Some had hearts around them indicating a couple.  Some had dates.  Some had doodles. The floor was covered with brownish red stains and here was where the smell of blood was coming from. 

"Last year," whispered Harry, running a finger along the date of 1994 and the corresponding name.  Another name was written within a picture frame.  Harry realized someone had broken the glass out and removed the picture to make room for the Muggle's name. The picture itself was lying ripped on the floor.  Harry turned it over and looked at it. At least it wasn't a wizarding photograph, thought Harry, thinking of the fat lady's distress when Sirius had slashed her picture because she wouldn't let him into Gryffindor Tower. Harry's eyes fell on the date written in the picture frame.   "Voldemort was here, last year," whispered Harry, picking up a piece of the broken glass, "And so were these Muggles."

The threesome just stared at the dining room and while they stared, Harry felt suddenly light-headed.  The soft silky power of an Imperius Curse seemed to be coming from somewhere.  He recognized it and started to fight it.  It was elusive.  He thought he had overcome it, but—He needed a weapon. His hand closed on his wand.  For a moment he silently fought the curse, drawing his hand away from his wand and then he lost control.  Anger welled up in him, hot and furious. "No!" he cried, looking around wildly.

Suddenly he knew what he had to do to stop the fire within him.  It was the girl.  He launched himself at her, knocking her to the ground and slashing with the glass in his hand.  The glass struck flesh where she had put up her arm to shield her face.  She snatched at his glasses, knocking them from his face, and breaking them as they rolled on the floor in mortal combat.  She seemed just as determined to kill him as he her.   Fingernails raked his face and her teeth sunk into the hand that held the glass.

Harry yowled with pain and dropped the chunk of glass.

"Harry, no!" shouted Ron. "Hermione!"

The red headed boy was in his way, trying to pry them apart.  Harry shoved him aside, desperate to kill the girl and make the pain stop. He closed his hands about her throat and squeezed, the soft tissue yielding to his fingers.  

With a feral growl that sounded more like an animal than a human, she pulled her wand and pointed it at Harry's belly. "**_Avada_—" she rasped out, using the last of the breath Harry allowed her to have.**

**"_Petrificus Totalis!_"** shouted Ron. "**_Petrificus Totalis!_"**

"Oh Merlin! Oh Merlin!  _Oh Merlin!_"  Ron scrambled to the two of them and shook Harry.  "Harry, I don't know what happened to you." Ron dragged Harry from the dining room.  "I think it's the room," he muttered. "I hope it's the room." Panting he lifted Hermione and carried her to the corridor too.  He looked from one to the other.  "OK, Hermione.  I'm going to take off the binding spell, but if you attack Harry again, we're all going back to your house, pronto.  **_Finite Incantum!_"**

Hermione blinked at Ron. "What?" she croaked, and her hand went to her throat.

"Don't move," Ron demanded, wand poised.

"Ron?  What's the matter with you?" asked Hermione. "What happened to Harry?" She touched her forearm and her fingers came away sticky with blood.

"I bound him," said Ron, "and you too.  Don't you remember what happened?"  
  


"Ron?  What are you talking about?  You aren't making sense.  Release Harry this instant."

"You aren't going to try to kill him, are you?"

"What!?" She was feeling in her pocket for her wand but came up empty.  "My wand—"  She looked toward the dining room where it lay discarded on the floor.  She started to stand, but Ron pulled her down beside him again.  "Stay here," he said. "I'll get it in a minute.  It didn't seem to affect me before."

"Did something attack us?" she asked.

"No. You and Harry attacked each other," said Ron.

Hermione stared open mouthed.

Ron sighed and looked at Harry. He fished through Harry's pockets for his wand and with it safely aside Ron spoke. _"**Finite Incantum****!**" he said, still cautiously holding his wand on them._

Harry was instantly contrite.  "Oh Hermione," he cried, hugging her.  "I'm so sorry."  Tears were welling up in his eyes.  "I tried to fight it, but then you—you—" He touched her bloodied arm, and reached for his wand.  His eyes widened as he realized it wasn't in his pocket.

"I have it," said Ron.  

"Well, give it here," said Harry angrily. "She needs that cut cleaned and healed."

"I'm not giving you your wand Harry until I know what happened in there."

Harry sat back on his heels, and rubbed his face. "Where are my glasses?" he asked.  

"Here," said Ron. "**_Accio!_**"  The pieces fell into Ron's hand and he handed them to Harry after he repaired them. Harry put the newly fixed glasses on his face.  

"I believe it was some sort of Imperius Curse." Harry said.  His voice dropped to a horrified whisper. "I wanted to kill Hermione."

"And she wanted to kill you," said Ron.

"Why don't I remember this?" asked Hermione.

"And why was I spared?" said Ron.

"I don't know," said Harry, "but it seems to be over now."

"Ok," said Ron carefully. He hesitatingly handed Harry his wand, and Harry healed Hermione's cuts. Ron raised his own wand.  "**_Accio wand!_**" he said, and Hermione's wand flew to his outstretched hand.  He handed it to her. "Samara isn't here," he said.  "I think we should go before we run into any more booby traps."

"We don't know that Samara isn't here," said Harry.  There's upstairs, and um—downstairs."

"Is there a dungeon?" asked Ron.

Harry shrugged. "Basement, more likely."

"Would he leave her here unguarded?" asked Hermione as they started toward the stairs.

"I don't know," said Harry. As they proceeded up the stairs, Harry's hand wiped the dust from the banister where there was more graffiti. _"Garrett D. slid here" was written the full length of the banister.  The writing ended at the top of the steps and did not continue around the railing, which accented the domed ceiling.  The ceiling was glowing green._

Hermione caught her breath and then pointed up. Written in a bright pink flowery script and surrounded with a greenish glow-in-the-dark paint were the enormous letters, _"Sam D tops you all!"_

"I wonder how he got up there," said Ron.

"Not he," said Hermione. "She—Samara—"

"You don't think she snuck in here and wrote that," said Harry.  "It can't be the same person."

"It is," said Hermione. "I recognize her writing. She told us her town is a tourist attraction with a haunted house on the hill.  I think she even mentioned dares to spend the night in the haunted house, but she never mentioned vandalism."

"What amazes me," said Ron, "is that You-Know-Who was looking for her for fourteen years and she was living in an unprotected Muggle house.  He could have taken her anytime he wanted to."

"Not really," said Harry.  "He wasn't in any shape to find her until I helped him out last year," he said bitterly.

"I meant before that," said Ron.

"Well, before that, he found me, didn't he?' "Unless he didn't know where she was," said Harry.

 "Of course he didn't know _where she was, Harry.  He didn't even know __who she was until just a few weeks ago."  Said Hermione.  _

"So he was in a worse predicament than we're in," said Ron.

"But he's not anymore," said Hermione.  

"No," said Harry softly.

 "Ready to tackle the  -um basement?" added Hermione.

Ron caught Harry's shoulder, and turned him around.  "Harry," he whispered. "If you didn't want to send wizards to protect your prophecy child—" Ron licked his lips.

"Dementors," said Hermione.

The boys nodded and they headed downstairs.  After several minutes of looking, they finally found the doorway that led down to the bowels of the Riddle house.  The smell of decay and mold greeted them as they opened the door, but there was no smell of blood.  They proceeded down the stairs and separated a little, exploring, but keeping each other in sight. 

While they watched, Hermione stepped on a perfectly solid piece of the floor and sank into it up to her knees.  She screeched and, almost immediately, she began to sink with amazing rapidity as if she were stuck in quicksand. She dragged her wand from her pocket, which was already filling with the mire.  "Ron!  Harry!"  

Ron was quicker, sprinting to her side and grabbing her arm with one hand, and pulling his wand with the other.  He levitated her out of the muck and sat her down on solid ground beside him.  Immediately she began to sink again.

Harry charged to his side and also began to sink. "Shit," he spat reaching for his wand.  Instead, he accidentally grabbed the red-ribboned portkey from his pocket. Hermione, who was up to her neck by now, reached for the portkey.  

"What's the word?" she asked, and Harry and Ron added their hands to the portkey.  

"Home," said Harry.  Nothing happened.  

"All together, then," said Ron.  "Home!"  

Harry felt the familiar tug behind his navel and then the three of them fell onto the Granger's kitchen floor, trailing muck and mire everywhere.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Dr. Granger as he stared at them.

++

"Good thing we're not at my house," said Ron.  "Even my Dad never would have bought that story about studying the uses of wizarding transportation, Hermione, even if I did clean up the kitchen."

"That's because your Mum and Dad know what a portkey is," said Hermione.  "I told you we would have more freedom at my house.  Now, I'm going to take a long hot shower, and then we can try to figure out why none of the booby traps worked on Ron."

"I think I know the answer to that," Ron said, surprising them all. "It's because I'm a pureblood. Could the spell be keyed to Muggle blood?  You-Know-Who was trying to keep out the Muggles—"

"Can't say I blame him," said Harry, thinking of the vandalism.

"But Harry's not Muggleborn," said Hermione.

"My mother was," said Harry. "You might have something there, Ron."

"It doesn't bring us any closer to finding Ginny or Samara or Beatrice," lamented Ron.

"We'll find them," promised Hermione, leaning in to run her mire-encrusted arms up Ron's relatively clean chest and around his neck.  Ron kissed her and his arms tightened around her, ignoring the dirt.

"Um," said Harry.  "Don't mind me." He muttered looking away, and then he asked.  "Hermione, do you have a second bathroom?"

"Use the one upstairs, Harry," she said. "End of the hall."

Harry nodded and sprinted up the stairs to get a shower, leaving Hermione and Ron on the landing half way up the stairs.

The next day, the trio tried brewing the Locator Potion again. This time they centered it on Ginny and used three drops of Ron's blood instead of pages from a book.  It was still snowing, but the potion seemed to allow movement.  Enormous oak doors swung open for them and they were in a marble entranceway that rivaled the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

"Malfoy Manor?" suggested Hermione, but Ron shook his head.  

"No," said Ron. "Malfoy Manor has a staircase in the foyer.  It's carved out of ebony with snakes for the spindles."

"And how do you know that?" asked Hermione incredulously. 

"It was in Witch Weekly, as the home of the month a while back," said Ron.  "Mum couldn't stop talking about it.  She wanted to re-do the staircase in the Burrow."

"With snakes?" asked Hermione with a smile.

"No, of course not," said Ron, "but she did like the ebony, until Dad told her the meaning of the wood refers to the beauty and power of the Dark. "

"Well, we don't know where the house is, or who it belongs to, but it's a better result than the uninterrupted snow we had last time," said Hermione. "I think we need to brew this with Samara's family's blood."  

The boys agreed with her and were all set to use the portkey to the Riddle graveyard in Little Hangleton and walk to Samara's family's house using the "point me" charm, but Hermione had a better idea.  She suggested that they use the Muggle telephone directory and call ahead. Unfortunately, the phone rang busy for half an hour, and Harry was anxious to go.  

"Every minute we delay could be the moment Samara joins the Dark Lord," he complained.

Sirius, who finally showed up that evening, was adamant. "No Muggles."

"Blood is blood," said Harry.  "It doesn't matter if it's Muggle, squib or wizard.  I learned that from the years I spent with the Dursleys."  His eyes met Sirius'.  "It's been a hard lesson."

"I know, Harry.  I'm sorry." said Sirius. "We—Dumbledore and I—just wanted to keep you safe."

"I said, I learned that lesson.  Blood is blood," said Harry. "We need to contact them.  We have no idea where the girls are—unless the Order of the Phoenix has an idea?"

"No," said Sirius, "but you can't just go marching into a Muggle neighborhood and ask for blood." 

"I don't intend to," said Harry.  "I intend to ask the relatives of a witch for their help in finding their own child!"

"Let me think about it," said Sirius.  "I'll check it out with Dumbledore and let you know tomorrow." 

++

But when tomorrow came, Sirius was absent.  

Harry, Ron and Hermione waited another day out of courtesy, but still no Sirius.

"I don't care what Sirius says," Harry told his friends.  "We need to do this. We've wasted too much time already. We don't know how long the girls can hold out."

Finally, they agreed.

+++

Garrett:  Thanks for watching those reviews for me

Eldawen:  Welcome and thanks for the review

Raven173:  Welcome back.  It's good to see you.  And yes, Tom communicates with both Ginny and Volde, but they are not the same Tom.  Tom in Ginny's head is the 16 year old memory.  Tom in Volde's head is the embittered owner of the now ruined body which Salazar took over

XASA:  More Draco coming, but don't expect him to be nicer.

Tiamat Warcraft:  Huggles to you too.  Thanks for reviewing.  Go check out Tiamat's story

Trillim:  Draco is always cool.

Sky:  There may be some more Drumstrang stuff later.  At least the Drumstrang kids will play a part.

Trillium:  I take it you don't like Lemon Drops…  As far as "terrible as dragons"  well yes, of course that's why Hagrid loves them.  I think he means terrible as "awesome"  or "exciting"  as well as "terrible"

Claret345: Oh no, weeded out all the Ron lovers in the first book.  LOL.  Actually, I think I've done a better job on Ron this go.  I hope so.  Nice long, WONDERFUL review.  Gave me warm fuzzies and that's saying a lot.  

Becky:  Yeah. You're reading!  When are you going to camp?  Email me.

Jager:  Glad you like

Emma-Trelawny:  More about the Snow Castle coming.

Garrett:  OK that's 2 reviews for you and Trillium.  Should I really put up this chapter?  What cheats you are!  OK  I respect that, being a Slyth and all—

Kemenran:  More coming

Silverfox1:  Love you insightful comments on reviews and group.  If you haven't visited the yahoo group,  w—groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Seers_Truth

Please do so.  

Adaneth:  Glad you like Draco.  I don't think Dumbledore is sadistical, just typical Dumbledore.

Ennui deMorte:  No sicing basilisks.  Sorry.    Yes, perhaps Draco should have given them a multiple choice owl.  Lol  Thanks for always looking out for mistakes and adding your comments.  Great beta!  Thanks again.

Now, you know what to do.  15 reviews gets the next chapter.  So you can review and then send the link to everyone in your address book.  That way, the reviews get in faster.

Love you all

Lady Lestrange

In the meantime, go discuss things at Yahoogroup

The_Seers_Truth

w—groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Seers_Truth


	4. CH 4 Bunny and Basilisk

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By  Lady Lestrange**

**Bunny and Basilisk**

**Chapter 4 **

Disclaimer:  All Potterverse belongs to JK Rowlings.  No infrigement is meant or implied.  Thanks JK

Special thanks to my beta, ennui.  Thanks for a great job.

Author's note follows story

==

Chapter 4

Maura burst into the room that Ginny was sharing with Beatrice.  "I've got it," she said.  "I know how you can get Beatrice out of here.  Come on."  

Ginny and Beatrice followed her through a series of tunnels and secret passages and ended up at the vent grating, listening to Voldemort talking.  

"I want you to be more discrete this time, Alvin" said Voldemort, laying his hand on Alvin's shoulder and gently rubbing his hand along his back.  His long white fingers looked like twigs against the black of Alvin's robe "And I don't want anyone to know that the dementors have been there," he continued.  "For all we know that great Muggle-loving-git might read the Muggle papers, and then he might be able to guess where we will be next, by examining the dementor's feeding habits.  I don't want the Muggle news to see a similarity between one feeding and another, and they will if the Muggles miss the victims.  The Kiss is too—distinctive."  Voldemort smiled a distant feral look in his eye.  "But if no one misses the victims, you can kill as many as you want."  

He stared directly up at the vent then, his tongue flicking wildly in the air, his slitted eyes unreadable. Ginny thought she would die of fright, but he turned and looked back at Nott.  "Three days of feeding should make them more manageable for our future tasks," said Voldemort   

"Yes, Master."  Alvin licked his lips.  "I can manage them, Master—"

"Of course you can," said Voldemort, "but they are hungry.  I wouldn't want to be deliberately cruel.  It serves no purpose to starve them."  Voldemort smiled thinly and then continued.  "After you get to Knockturn, go into Muggle London.  It's only two streets over, but I don't want you to turn the dementors loose there—not yet.   I want you to walk down toward the heart of Muggle London.  You will know the street when you see it.  You will see the Muggles, milling around like the vermin they are.  You will see them: dirty, useless rats, living in the sewers.  There are—homeless, vagrants and prostitutes—lowlife even for Muggle society.  No one will mind if we take a few of these off of the streets and remove the burdens of society."  

Voldemort smiled, his nostrils flaring as though he scented prey as he looked again at the vent.  "They should thank us."

"Let's get out of here," Ginny whispered.  She could barely get the words out; her heart seemed to close up her throat it was beating so fast.

They had no sooner turned around than the conference room door below them opened and Wormtail bowed into the room directly below them.  Ginny froze, terrified to move lest they be heard.

"What is it?" Voldemort asked tersely.

Wormtail glanced at Alvin and hesitated.  "Go on," Voldemort said to Alvin, "you know what you must do."  And then in parseltongue, he spoke to Nagini.  "{Open my chamber to him, Nagini, but if he touches anything except the floo, he is hisssus.}"

"{Hisssus!}" said Nagini.

An excited hiss came from the collar of Ginny's robe and a small tongue, followed by a small head. "{Hissuss! Where?}"

"{No where. Shhh,}" Ginny hissed softly, pushing the small head down.  She absently started to stroke the serpent before turning back to Beatrice. Beatrice wriggled with anxiety, and Ginny reminded her at a whisper, "If you turn into a bunny, she will smell you."

Beatrice nodded, wide eyed.  She looked like she was controlling the impulse with great difficulty, but she was controlling it, which said good things for McGonagall's animagus training thought Ginny.

"Come back to me when you return, Alvin.  I'll want to know the details."

"Yes, Master."  Alvin turned and hurried from the room, Nagini following along the floor in a swift serpentine motion, and Ginny felt Beatrice relax slightly beside her.

Ginny wondered if Alvin had any idea his life was entrusted to Nagini.

"All is ready for our _Christmas surprise_ but Fudge is getting nervous," said Wormtail clasping his silver hand around his flesh one.    "Narcissa thinks we should watch him."

"She's probably right," said Voldemort.  "I'll take care of it.  Do we know yet where the Muggle Lover is spending his holiday?"

"Not yet.  Severus said he wanted to go to visit family, but he's probably going to stay at Hogwarts considering the crisis."

Voldemort chuckled, and unconventional, rasping sound. "Oh he thinks _this_ is a crisis, does he?"

"Well, the prophecy is rather explicit about your gaining control of the prophecy child, Master.  It's certainly enough to make him tremble with fear."

"I doubt that," said Voldemort.  "Dumbledore doesn't have enough brains to be afraid, and I don't exactly have her anyway, do I?  She's lost to both of us at the moment."  Voldemort sank into a chair and pushed up the robe of his sleeve, revealing three basilisks and several angry red bite marks.

"I have faith in you," said Wormtail edging away.  "You will find a way to bring her back from the Elementals.

While they watched, Voldemort unwound one of the basilisks from his arm and transferred it to the other arm, which was slightly less bitten.  Only two basilisks resided on that arm.

Wormtail eyed them warily and shifted away again.

"Stop fidgeting, Wormtail," demanded Voldemort. "As long as you aren't thinking of turning into a rat, you're perfectly safe.  Don't you think I have control of them?"

"Yes.  Of course you do, Master."

Voldemort laid one of his basilisk encircled arms over Wormtail's shoulder.  "Let's go see if we can add any more churches or synagogues to our Christmas Surprise, shall we?"  

"Yes, Master," Wormtail squeaked as one of the basilisk's slithered down off of Voldemort's arm to examine Wormtail's silver hand.  

Wormtail squeaked again sounding remarkably like a caught rat, and Voldemort laughed heartily. "They are attracted to the magic in your hand," Voldemort said with pride. "It contains stronger magic than the rest of you."  Voldemort watched as a sweat broke out on Wormtail's brow and his nose began to twitch in much the same way as Beatrice did when she was fighting to not turn into a bunny and run.

"I'm surprised.They're more attracted to your magic than to your rat scent," observed Voldemort.

"I don't smell like a rat," said Wormtail worriedly as the second basilisk slithered down onto his hand, and then he seemed to break down entirely.  "Get them off of me!" he begged, squeaking and crying, and yet holding quite still and not in any way hurting the basilisks. "Please, Master.  Get them off.  I can't stand it!"

Abruptly, Wormtail turned into a rat and darted for the nearest crack in the wall.  Both basilisks reacted instantly turning towards the prey, one of them striking and narrowly missing Wormtail's retreating form.

"{Be still!}" Voldemort hissed and one of the basilisks stopped.  The other slithered several feet after Wormtail before stopping.  Voldemort retrieved the errant one and actually coaxed it into biting him again before replacing it on his arm.  The one that stopped, he rewarded with a warming charm.

Maura tapped Ginny on the shoulder and motioned for her to follow.  They crept out of the passageway.  When they were a safe distance, Ginny asked, "What do you know about this Christmas Surprise thing he was talking about?"

"Very little," said Maura.  "Some holiday Muggle hunting I think.  Do you want to come?  Only a few of the children are invited, those with superior powers.  The Lestrange twins are being total prats about it because their mother and grandmother got them in, but I'm sure he would let you come too, if you asked him."

Ginny shook her head.  "I just wondered where it was—"

"Oh, I don't think it is one spot," said Maura.  "From what I gathered it was several attacks on some of the larger churches and synagogues.  I don't know the places.  I know he's only going as far east as France so none of us will be able to visit any of our relatives who—isn't here."  Maura shifted from one foot to the other a little nervously.  "He said it's better to concentrate on doing a job well—"

"Edward would know," whispered Beatrice.

"Yes," Ginny whispered back. "But would he tell me?"

Ginny glanced at Maura as they reached the common corridor and slipped out of the secret passage.  She was worried about this new development and what it meant to the Muggles of the world, but the whole plan to get Beatrice out of the Snow Castle seemed to be workable. Ginny caught Maura's arm.  "Thank you," she said with heartfelt gratitude.

"Do you want to see what Nott has to say about this?" asked Maura.

Ginny shook her head.   She decided it was better if Nott didn't know.   He would probably get nervous and blow the whole thing.  "We are going to do this first thing tomorrow morning, before I have a chance to get nervous."

"I'm already nervous," Beatrice intoned.

"{Hissusss now?}" came a soft hiss from Ginny's neck and Beatrice jumped.

"Relax," said Ginny.  "She won't hurt you.  I've told her, under no circumstances is she to think of you as prey, but she is hungry."

"(Sissahauss,)" agreed the basilisk.

"I'm going to go to the kitchen and see if I can find her some meat.  I'll meet you back at the room, alright?"

Beatrice nodded.

"Soon," Ginny promised.  "I'll get you home soon."

She watched Beatrice go with a sense of anxiety.  The sooner Beatrice was out of here the better.  Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough for Ginny.

"For once, Ginny Love, I agree," said Tom.  "She is a major liability."

"She's my friend," countered Ginny as she pushed open the kitchen door.  There were about a dozen wizards and witches in the kitchen.  An abundance of house elves greeted her.  She couldn't even understand their chatter when they all talked at once.

"Silence," snapped an authoritative voice, and Ginny chuckled.  "Hey Edward.  Just the person I wanted to see."  

Edward and Ethan were sitting at the table eating a variety of snacks with Gloria, Millicent and a couple Drumstang students.

"What did you want to see me about?" said Edward petulantly.  "You've got your snake."

"Oh, jealousy rears its ugly head," observed Tom.  "Just like Carman.  I told you so."

"(Hisssuss now?)" asked the basilisk.

"(Yes.  Almost,)" hissed Ginny, looking around for one of the house elves.

Edward made a disgusted sound.

"Oh, come on, Edward." coaxed Ginny. "You know I have to take care of his basilisk.  You wouldn't want anything to happen to it, do you?"

"Course not," said Edward quickly.

"Oh just give him a kiss," said Tom.  "It will put him a better mood, Ginny Love."

Perhaps Tom was right.  Ginny leaned in toward Edward and he backed up so quickly he upset the chair behind him and spilled pumpkin juice in Gloria's lap.

"Bloody idiot!" Gloria spat, slamming her hand on the table and doing a cleaning charm. Whether she was talking to Edward or Ginny it was hard to tell, but the basilisk hissed in anger at the jarring movement.

_Tom chortled with laughter._

"You did that on purpose, Tom."

_"Yep."  Tom's mirth started to spill over and Ginny felt a smile forming on her face._  

She tried to suppress it and Edward growled "Quit your smirking.  You think you're special to him.  You're not.  It's just your basilisk."

"I know," said Ginny meekly, pulling her basilisk from her neck and putting it on the floor.  She asked the nearest house elf for some raw meat.

Immediately the house elf brought a small bowl of meat, and Ginny pulled her wand.

"It won't eat that," observed Millicent.

"Sure it will," said Ginny transfiguring a chunk of the meat into a mouse, and dropping it on the floor.  The basilisk struck, the crunch of bones audible as it began to swallow the wiggling mass.  

"You're obviously his favorite," said Ginny.  "How many of you were invited to go with him on Christmas?"

"Oh I don't think He's going," said Gloria. "It's only Muggles."

"Still," said Ginny as she dropped another mouse on the floor.  "Everyone knows he invited the Lestrange twins."

Edward smirked and a bit of sparks fell from Ethan's fingers.

"If you drip fire on my robe Ethan, I'll Avada you," spat Gloria.

"Better move over then," suggested one of the Drumstrang girls.

"Forget it," said Gloria.

"Yeah, we were invited," said Edward smoothly.  "I think everything is set for Christmas, but if you want to go to the Hanukkah outing, I could probably arrange it with Carman."

"Really?" said Ginny.  "I don't know.  I hate being out so late."

"It won't be that late," said Edward.

"I thought it started at midnight," said Ginny.

"No.  That's Christmas.  Hanukkah starts at sundown.  It will be over early."

It's not going to be as big as Christmas though, is it?"

"Oh yeah," interrupted Ethan, as he started to name synagogues and count them off on his fingers. Oh, bloody hell!"  He dropped a spark of flame, which ignited the hem of Gloria's robe.  Edward put it out, but Gloria left angrily and Ethan followed her.

Ginny turned another piece of meat into a mouse and dropped it on the ground.  Ginny startled as a black streak shot past her and lunged for the mouse.

"Millicent!" she cried, losing the spell.

Millicent transformed back into a witch and spat the raw meat from her mouth.  "Your basilisk didn't want it," said Millicent.  "We can't let his kitchen become infested with mice."

Edward rolled his eyes.  "You are disgusting, Millicent."

"Someday, I'll find someone who appreciates me," said Millicent.

"I appreciate you," said a pale thin Drumstrang boy with golden eyes.

Millicent seemed to see him for the first time.  "Are you an animagus?" asked Millicent

"Hawk," he answered.

"Oh wicked!" said Millicent.  "Want to go hunting?  There's this great forest near where I go to school—"

The two of them drifted off leaving Edward and Ginny as the last Hogwarts students in the kitchen.

"I miss you, Virginia," said Edward softly, taking her hand, carefully eyeing the basilisk slithering on the floor.  Magic crackled in his fingers and Ginny felt the warmth of it, smooth and pleasant.  He leaned in to kiss her, and she felt the heat of his magic flowing over her, soothingly and then with more intensity, suddenly smothering.  She pushed him away wishing she could convince him that she couldn't think of him as more than a friend.

"You wish?" questioned Tom.  "You have no idea—" 

"I saw Maura a while ago playing Quit," whispered Edward still gripping her arms..  "Your room is empty."

"I can't," said Ginny pulling out of his embrace and reaching for her basilisk.  Edward immediately took a step back. 

"(Come,)" she hissed. " (Time for us to go back to the room.)"

"(Sleepy,)" hissed the basilisk.  "(Warm me?)"

"(Yes.  I'll do a warming spell as soon as we get back to our room.)" She said while she let it wrap itself around her neck.

"It's because of that bloody snake," spat Edward.

"Yes," said Ginny.  "I suppose it is."

++

Harry, Ron and Hermione stood on the doorstep of a modest two story house.  They were dressed in Muggle clothing and had transfigured their outer robes into coats. The cement steps upon which they stood were already covered with a light coating of slush.  Upon the small stoop, a welcome mat with the capital letter "D" had been placed, but Harry didn't think they would be very welcome at this house.

Hermione knocked anyway.

The door was opened by a boy a little older than they were.  He was dressed in jeans and a purple sweat shirt.  His feet were bare, and his dark hair was even messier than Harry's.    "Yeah?"  he said, holding the door open a crack.

"We're friends of Samara's," said Hermione.  "From her school—"  Harry was grateful that Hermione was handling the conversation.  He wouldn't have known how to begin.

He looked at them for a moment, and then turned his head toward the inside of the house and bellowed, "Mum!  MUM!"

"May we come in?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah.  Sure," the boy said looking inside again and then opening the door wide.  "So you're—um—magic folk—huh?" he said uncertainly.

"Yes," said Hermione.  "I'm a witch and Harry and Ron are wizards."

His eyes narrowed, staring. "You  know, you look normal—Not deranged or anything—"

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.  "We _are_ normal," said Harry, "We just have magical talents."

"Sure," said the boy with a smirk.

The boy's mother entered the room and stared at them in the same way. Finally, she spoke.  "They sent—a bird."

"An owl," said Hermione.

"They sent a bird to tell me my daughter is missing, and now they are sending children?"  Her voice went up in disbelief.  

"We weren't sent by anyone, Ma'am," said Ron.

She turned to glare at Ron, and then Harry.  "Which of you is Draco?" she demanded.

"Neither," said Ron and Harry together, looking at each other in horror.

"You would think that school would be able to keep track of its students," she spat. "Especially—_challenged_ students--For the amount of money they charge they should realize that teenagers can't be left to their own devices for a minute.  I should know.  I have four of them.  One of them is always running off somewhere.  Sneaking into trouble."

"Samara isn't like that," said Harry.

"I know my Sam," said the woman. 

"Mum, Remember when we couldn't find her for four days?  She was at the camp looking for sticks?" said the teenager.

"That was summer, Moron," interrupted another teenager.  "She's not as stupid as you."  

Harry glanced from one to the other. Obviously they were brothers, the older one looked like he dealt with the messy hair problem by cutting most of it off.  He did have the straggly beginnings of a beard and mustache though.  Harry wasn't sure if he was actually trying to grow a beard or he just hadn't bothered to shave.  Harry would guess that he was the older of the two brothers although he was a good head shorter.

 "Is Draco missing too?" asked the mother.

"Not that I know of—" said Hermione, exchanging glances with Harry.

"So, she hasn't returned from her excursion yet?  I agree, two weeks is a little long, even for Sam, but once she gets something into her head, she's relentless—stubborn, like her Dad.  She said she wanted a flying broom.  No doubt she's off somewhere pretending to make that now."

"No," said Ron. "We saw her.  She was taken by the Dark Lord."

The woman burst into laughter.  "That's rich.  Dark Lord—"  The woman seemed to be laughing so hard that she couldn't get her breath—"She put you up to this, didn't she?"

"We don't know where she is," said Hermione, "and we were hoping that the bond of blood would allow us—Please!" she said exasperated that the woman continued to laugh.

"You're our only hope—"

"Help us Obi-wan-kenobi," intoned the younger teenager,   "You're our only hope."

The Muggles dissolved into laughter.

Harry nudged Hermione.  "Let's just go," he said.  "This is hopeless."  

They had turned to go when a male voice bellowed from the other room, "I'm trying to work here!" and the laughter immediately calmed.  

The woman sniffed and wiped her eyes.  "Go give the ogre a beer," she said to the smaller of her sons.  

"The ogre doesn't want a beer," said a tall scowling man with jet black hair and greying side burns as he entered the room. "He wants quiet!  What in the bloody hell is all the giggling about anyway? Elizabeth, you'd think you have more sense than to indulge them." 

"I don't have any sense.  I married you, didn't I?"

"Your flippancy," he said shaking his finger at her.  "That's the whole problem with this family."  

She whacked the finger out of her face, but he kept talking.  "That's why Samara is missing."  His green eyes narrowed to slits, "If you had ever been a mother to the girl—"

"You are _not_ blaming this on me!"

"No wonder she's run away," he continued as if she hadn't spoken.  "You know, she didn't want to come home for Christmas. Why wouldn't she want to come home?  This is her home—"

"If _your_ mother didn't put all those goofy ideas into her head!" she shouted.

"If you didn't let her get away with murder—" 

"Keys," whispered the smaller boy to his brother. "Let's get out of here."

"You get them," said the older.

"Can't.  Dad said, no car for a month, remember?  Where are my shoes?" the boy wondered digging under the pillows of the sofa.

"Alright.  Where we going?"

"How about Grandma Lori's," suggested Hermione.

They stepped out into the freezing drizzle as the younger boy shoved his bare feet into his shoes and threw a coat over his shoulders.  He hurried after them, shoes still untied.  "Do you know Grandma Lori?" he asked.

"Just from what Samara has told us," said Hermione, breathing a sigh of relief as they left the house.

"Draco," muttered Ron.  "She thought one of us was Draco."

"Simon," said the older of the boys sticking out his hand to Harry.  "And this is my little brother Garrett."  Harry grinned since Garrett was a full head taller than his older brother.

"I don't suppose you came all this way to hear Mum and Dad argue," said Simon.

"No," Harry agreed.  "We didn't—"

"So, what do you really do at this school?" asked Garrett.

The trio looked at each other.  "Magic," said Hermione.

The boys exchanged glances and Harry thought it was probably best to save the demonstrations of magic until Simon was not behind the wheel of a car.  Apparently, Hermione thought so too.  She asked, "How far to Grandma Lori's house?"

"Not far," said Simon.  "Connor's flat is closer, but he's at Grandma Lori's all the time anyway.  She feeds him."

"That's your oldest brother?" Harry asked and Simon nodded. 

"He moved out in October.  He just couldn't stand being in the war zone anymore."

Harry was surprised when he met Grandma Lori.  The boys, familiar with their grandmother's house, did not bother to knock but went right in the back door, calling, "Oy, Gram, it's us."

"Just a minute, Dear," she called back, and the trio followed the boys into an expansive, well lighted room filled with a conglomeration of antique furniture and a brand new television set.  Grandma Lori was sitting before a computer and typing on a rickety keyboard, her typing speed belaying the arthritic knots that enlarged her knuckles.  "Just let me get this up on ebay," she said, tucking an iron gray curl behind her ear.

"Don't lay anything down," Garrett warned.  "Gram found some kind of new cyber garage sale on the net.  She'll sell anything she can get her hands on."

Harry frowned, confused, but Ron pushed past him.

"Woah! Is that a computer?" said Ron moving forward to peer over her shoulder.

Garrett laughed.  "Yeah, we wonder that too," he joked.  "What is this antique, Gram?  All of  2.5 megabytes?  It doesn't even have Windows."_  
  
_

"Yes it does," said Gram as she shut down the machine and hugged her grandsons.  "It says right here 3.0.  Anyway, I don't need a lot of fancy gadgets.  So who are your friends?"

"Not our friends," said Simon. "Samara's."

Grandma Lori just looked at them for a moment, her intense black eyes surveying them with interest, and then she started for the kitchen. "I think I'll put on some tea," she said.

After the teapot was safely on the stove, Grandma Lori turned to the children.  "What has happened to Samara?" she asked succinctly.

"It's complicated," said Hermione.

"I'm sorry," interrupted Grandma Lori.  "Your name is—"

"Oh, Hermione Granger.   I apologize," said Hermione blushing as she made the introductions.  

"I thought maybe you were Beatrice," said Grandma Lori.  "I know her other friend, Virginia, has red hair.  That would be your sister, right?" she asked, looking at Ron.

"Grandma," interrupted Garrett.  "Has Samara been writing to you?"

"Of course, dear.  I've gotten a letter every week since that boy was kind enough to give her Agamemnon.  The letters stopped two weeks ago…"

"That's when Voldemort took her," said Harry.  "She's been gone two weeks today."

"In the regular community—what do you call us?  Muggles right?"

Harry nodded.

"In the Muggle community, when a child is kidnapped, statistics say it is usually a family member."

_Actually, that is exactly what happened here too_, Harry thought. However, he didn't think his comment would be very constructive so he kept quiet.

"That's not what this is," interrupted Ron. "My sister was taken too. There was a prophecy—"  Ron glanced at Hermione, but she nodded, and Ron continued telling the story of Samara's kidnapping.  The trio was careful to reveal only what was necessary to Grandma Lori and Samara's brothers.  

Finally, Hermione quoted part of the prophecy, explaining that Samara fit into all of the houses. 

**Fate put Gryffindor bravery in one heart**

**And Ravenclaw brains in one head**

**And Slytherin cunning, ambition and guile**

**        Yet Hufflepuff's love is his dread.**

"Once the Dark Lord knew who she was, it was only a matter of time until he took her."

"Mum can read the future by cards too—She takes one look at my report card and can tell exactly what will happen when Dad gets home," said Garrett.

Simon sniggered, and poked him.  "Stop being a jerk."

"But she was sorted into Gryffindor, right?" said Grandma Lori with a frown.

"Yes," agreed Hermione without bothering to tell Grandma Lori about the problems they had with the Sorting Hat this year. With infinite finesse, Hermione introduced the idea of a potion, which would help them locate Samara and how they needed several drops of blood from a family member.  "Your blood would work," said Hermione, "But I'd rather have the blood from one of her brothers.  It would yield a better view because it is the most similar to Samara's blood."

"Alright," agreed Grandma Lori.  "Garrett.   Simon."

Both of them looked with trepidation at Hermione. "How much blood?" asked Simon.

"Just three drops," said Hermione. 

Garrett stuck out his hand. "Go ahead," he said.  

Hermione hesitated.  "Um—We need a needle or something—"

"No magic?" inquired Garrett, smirking.

"No, we're not really allowed to use it outside of school. We're going to do this the Muggle way."

Simon came back with a needle and bottle of alcohol.

While Hermione was busy dripping drops of Garrett's blood into a small vial, Grandma Lori returned to the kitchen table with a large box labeled _Ruggedwear finest boots_.  She pulled of the lid.  The box was filled with papers and clippings.  Some of the clipping spilled out.

Harry noticed one photocopied article, which said that a number of orphans at a local orphanage had tried to kill themselves in a rash of suicide attempts.  Another had pictures of a wild, out of control fire.  The headlines read, _"Orphanage burns to the ground.  Caretaker believed dead. Four children missing."_

 "While you are doing this Locator Potion," Grandma Lori asked, "is it possible to find someone else in the wizard world?  The boys are not close relatives of his, only half great nephews, but I've been looking ever since I lost his brother in 1945.  He has to be in the wizard world.  He turned eleven, left the orphanage and never went back. All mention of him disappeared at that time, and there are strange gaps. I don't want that to happen to Samara."  

Harry stared silently at the box of clippings, realizing who she wanted them to find.

"He was my husband's brother— " continued Grandma Lori.

"Your husband?" said Hermione.

"Was killed in 1945," Grandma Lori completed.  

"I didn't think you married him," blurted Ron.

Grandma Lori raised an eyebrow, her dark eyes suddenly cold. "We were married in every way, but the law," she said.  "And if he had not died, we would have been married the following week.  I see Samara has been telling tales—"

"No, it's not like that at all," interrupted Hermione, trying to repair the damage.

While she was speaking a huge black eagle owl perched on the window sill, and Grandma Lori opened the window to let him in.  "Hello Mabuz," she said, stroking him, but he ignored her, delivering his message to Harry Potter instead.

"That's Malfoy's owl," blurted Ron.

"Malfoy?" said Simon.

"Draco's last name," Lori said.

"Lemme see," said Garrett, moving to look over Harry's shoulder.

12-23-95

Dear HP;

Imperative we meet.  He's found B. Tomorrow 2pm.

Borgin and Burkes.  Confirm time and place.  

DM

Harry handed the note to Hermione who gasped and let the note drop onto the kitchen table. "Maybe he has some idea of where they are," whispered Hermione.

"No!" said Ron.  "We are not trusting Malfoy on this."

Garrett picked up the note and showed it to his brother and grandmother.  While the threesome discussed options Grandma Lori and Samara's brothers were having their own discussion.  "I'd like to know what Draco knows about all this," said Grandma Lori. 

"I don't know that we have a choice anymore," said Harry.

"Maybe you should owl Dumbledore—" began Ron.

Harry snorted.  "Ha!"

"Maybe Sirius?" said Hermione. 

Harry nodded, deep in thought. A flutter of wings brought him back to earth as the owl lifted from the windowsill and soared upwards.

"Stupid bird," said Ron.  "Wasn't he supposed to wait for a reply?"

"I gave him one," said Garrett

"You what!" shouted the Gryffindors together.

"I told Draco Malfoy that we would meet him at_—_ Borgin and Burkes,"  Garrett continued.

"Borgin and Burkes! You don't even know where it is," said Ron.  "Muggles can't see it."

"I'm assuming _you_ knew where it was," said Simon

"I do, but we weren't going to meet Malfoy. Especially not there." Ron spat.

"Fine," said Garrett. "Then we'll meet him.  Give us directions to this place."

"You can't go there," said Harry.  "Someone will chop you up for potions ingredients."

"Hardly," said Garrett.

"We have every right to try to help our sister," said Simon.  "Grandma said Draco is her friend.

"Look," said Harry. "I'm worried about taking Hermione there. Remember the hag that wanted your hair Hermione?" She nodded. "I'm not taking a bunch of Muggles."

"We can take care of ourselves," said Simon.

"Grandma said he was Samara's—um—friend."  He looked at Grandma Lori as if for confirmation, but she said nothing.  "If you really care about finding her, I'd expect you'd take whatever help was offered," said Garrett.

"You don't know Malfoy.  He hates Muggles.  He's not trustworthy," said Ron.

"I guess they'll have to figure that out for themselves," said Hermione.

"According to Samara's letters, her friends were Ginny, Beatrice and Draco," said Grandma Lori softly. "She didn't have a lot to say of you to recommend you."

"We tried to make her understand that Malfoy would betray her," said Hermione.  "And that's exactly what happened."  

"Are you blaming Draco for what happened?" asked Grandma Lori.

"Well no," said Hermione.  "We'll think about speaking with Malfoy," she said.

"Think about it?" muttered Ron.  "No we won't."

"Maybe we won't need Malfoy, if we figure out where that Manor in the snow is." Said Hermione.

"Come on," said Ron, "Let's go get something to eat and try to get something from this new potion.  I hope you're right Hermione."

"Alright.  Let's go," said Harry, pulling out the portkey that would return them to Hermione's home. Then, remembering that the Muggles were watching, he turned to Grandma Lori and said, "Thank you for all of your help and the blood, of course.  We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Just a minute," said Garrett, as Hermione hustled them out of the door, and Harry shut it behind them.

"Home," pronounced Harry as they all touched the portkey.  As he felt the tug behind his navel he also heard the shout of Samara's brothers expressing their irritation at being left behind.

++

"I can't believe you used Vincent Crabbe's owl," said Ginny.  "Especially since you hate owls.  You could have just waited to tell Dumbledore yourself. You are going to be home in a few hours, Beatrice."

"Oh, I'm not afraid of Hercules.  He's a tiny thing like Pig, and he knows me from taking messages to Sally Anne."  Beatrice shrugged.  "It seemed like a good idea when the owl blew by your window.  It needed to reorient itself in the snow storm, and it already had a message to Hogwarts."

"To Sally Anne?" surmised Ginny as she chose a black robe from the closet.   It was the third in a group of new robes that made her feel particularly good, but at Tom's urging she had removed the cheering charm from it.  She rather liked the fitting charm though and decided to keep it.  Beside her was her friend Beatrice, the rabbit animagus now in human form, dressed in one of Maura's robes which was several inches too short.  She flatly refused to take anything from Voldemort, even if it wasn't meant for her.

Beatrice nodded.  "Yeah, to Sally Anne.  I put a stealth charm on it too.  Either Vincent doesn't know how to do that, or he didn't think of it."

Ginny grimaced.  "He's going to get both himself and Sally Anne killed." She reached out and grasped Beatrice hand.  "Do you remember what you need to do?"

_"Probably both," surmised Tom_.

Beatrice took a deep breath and nodded, "I think so," she said, but her eyes betrayed her nervousness.  "I don't much like going to Knockturn Alley."

_"Wish I could go," said Tom.  "Much more exciting than hanging around here."_

"It will be Ok," Ginny soothed her.

Ginny tried to be very quiet in her clandestine endeavor.   She was in her bare feet, silently slipping along the corridor, her robe making only the faintest rustling sound against the cold stone floor

For the last time, Ginny was trying to explain why Beatrice needed to stay in Knockturn alley.  "I know where you are going," she said.  "You are only a few stores away from Darla's books store. She will help you. You can use her floo to go to Hogwarts and Dumbledore."

"But she's a vampire," whispered Beatrice furiously.  "How can you trust her?"

"Are you sure, Tom?" wondered Ginny.

"I'm sure.  She'll help."

"She's been in that book shop for a hundred years.  If she wanted to harm someone, believe me, she could, but she won't.  She'll help you. Just stay in your animagus form and run straight to her store before you transform.  In Knockturn Alley, Muggleborn witches are—" Ginny stopped suddenly and raised her finger to her lips.  "Shh-h" she hissed.  "Someone's coming. {Be silent.}"

"{Yesss Misstresss.}"

That someone was Alvin Nott, Pandora's box held out in front of him as if it were a box of poisonous snakes. Indeed, it was much more deadly. 

Beatrice transformed into her rabbit form.

Ginny stepped out in front of him.  "What floo are you using?" asked Ginny.

Alvin looked at her curiously.  "His," he answered shortly.

Ginny licked her lips.  "I want you to help me," she said. "Actually, help Beatrice—"

Alvin started to shake his head, but Ginny grasped his arm.  He continued to walk away from her and she clung to him like an adhere charm.  "I can't," he said in a strangled voice, but Ginny felt the warmth of the bunny against her leg, moving toward Alvin. 

"Then do nothing," Ginny urged.  "Hurry right to the floo and don't look around you at all.  Don't notice anyone or anything that goes with you."

A silent shadow fell across Ginny's line of vision. "{Plotting against me, my little hissuss?}" The words were spoken in parseltongue, and Ginny absolutely died.  She felt her heart stop beating in her chest and no air would be drawn into her lungs.  She was so frozen in terror that at first she thought he had performed a spell on her, but she realized a moment later when a soft feminine laughter filled her ears that he had done nothing to her yet.

"Let me, Master," begged Carman.  "Let me kill her for you. After all, she's only a Weasley."

"Don't be so hasty, Carman.  I still have need of her.  **_Statio_**."  Voldemort touched Ginny's face, drawing his hand down her cheek to her throat.  He trailed fire in his touch, and Ginny would have pulled away, but his spell did not allow her to move. The scream began deep inside her, but his words stopped it.  "Tell me," he said simply.

Ginny wanted to tell, needed to tell.  The fires as hot as the fires of hell were beckoning her. The pain was at the threshold of her consciousness and she knew without a doubt if she refused, she would be cast into that pit of fire.  She whimpered and began to fight the spell.  

Immediately, the pain of the fire flared within her burning to the center of her being, opening her up for Voldemort's inspection, but he seemed unable to see.  He thrust her from him with a growl of frustration and she smashed into the stone wall, her head hitting it with a resounding thunk and she slid to the floor unconscious.

Almost before she had settled onto the ground she felt herself awakened.  She awakened to the pain of being _Ennervated_ before her body was ready to deal with the initial assault.  Her throat and heart and chest all felt raw and ravaged by his spell. She felt like she was moving in slow motion, unable to focus on what she wanted to do.  Her fingers went to the back of her head where the tender lump was wet with blood. 

With snake-like speed he grasped her by the neck and spoke in a low menacing voice.  "I could use veritaserum, which I am told is severely unpleasant.  I could use the _Veritatis_ spell, which when used by a Legimens, in combination with legimency, will make you feel as if a river of fire has flowed through your veins and cleaned out everything you've ever hidden,"  growled Voldemort.  "I presume that the diary—" 

He suddenly broke off, his eyes darting to a movement under Nott's robes, but it wasn't his eyes that realized that Beatrice was there.

"{Hisssuss!}" Nagini spoke excitedly.

"{I smell it, Nagini,}" Voldemort returned, also in parseltongue.  "Who's the animagus?" Voldemort asked in English.

_"It's over, Ginny Love," said Tom.  _

"It can't be," thought Ginny frantically.

The words came from Ginny in a rush. Words that she was reluctant to say before now gushed unchecked from her.  "She's my friend," Ginny begged.  "She came accidentally.  I just was just trying to get her home. Please—"

"And Nott was helping you?"  Voldemort narrowed his eyes and raised his hand against Nott.

"NO!" "NO!" cried both Ginny and Nott together.  

****

**_"Crucio!"_**

"He didn't know!" Ginny finished frantically.

Everything seemed to happen at once.  Alvin and the box tumbled to the floor, but since the box was not magically opened, it remained shut.  Alvin's screams filled the air.  Beatrice, who had been under Alvin's robe, darted forward. She didn't have a chance.

Voldemort's hand darted out, almost as fast as a snake strike, and grasped the little brown bunny around the neck.

Beatrice squealed piteously and kicked her back legs wildly against his arm.  Both basilisks on the arm tasted the air curiously.  Voldemort looked at Ginny and then at Nott. "Now, who is the animagus?" he asked Nott.  

Alvin rapidly turned a very sick shade of gray and then all the color drained from his face as he stood looking at Voldemort, gaping like a fish out of water.  

"Carman," said Voldemort softly and tossed Beatrice at her. Carman's stunning spell caught Beatrice just as she hit the ground and Beatrice stopped in her tracks, looking for all the world like a rabbit caught, unprotected, in the center of a road awaiting doom.

Voldemort raised his hand, crackling magic and pushed Alvin against the wall.

"I tell you, Alvin didn't know!" shouted Ginny.

"I'll deal with you later, Virginia."

Voldemort turned his piercing stare on Alvin. "I hope you remember Rookwood, thinking that he was invulnerable because he was the Keeper of Pandora's box," Voldemort said.

The grayness in Alvin's face started to take on a definite bluish tinge and Ginny realized that Alvin couldn't breathe.

"He didn't do anything!" Ginny begged.  "He didn't even know!"  She glanced once at Beatrice wondering if there were anyway to salvage anything from this situation.

_"Doubtful," said Tom._

"Don't make the same mistake as Rookwood," snarled Voldemort.  **_"Crucio!"_**  Alvin gasped once, but didn't scream. "Don't even breathe without my permission," growled Voldemort.  When Voldemort took off the spell, Alvin immediately started gasping for breath.

"**_Crucio!_**  Didn't you hear me!" Voldemort yelled at Alvin.  "I said, Don't breath unless I tell you to. You are mine, and you will do exactly what I say."

After the third _Crucio_, Alvin scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robe, "Very well," said Voldemort.  He waved his hand and removed the spell that caused Alvin to be suffocated.  "You may breathe." After Alvin had kissed Voldemort's robes, he remained on his knees, taking deep gasping breaths and coughing and gaging until tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Now, go feed my dementors," said Voldemort, giving him a sharp kick in the ribs.  "Carman.  Go with him.  Keep him out of trouble."

Once they had left, Voldemort turned to Beatrice who lay like a stone in her stunned state. Ginny remembered that McGonagall said you shouldn't do any spell on an animagus with them in their animal form.  She remembered that any spell could make it difficult for the animagus to return to human form.  That was why animagi were registered—That was—

**_"Ennervate,"_** Voldemort said.  "If you move, you die."  Walking around the bunny, he studied its still, hunched form.  "Now would be a good time to transform into the witch or wizard you are—"

Beatrice continued to look at him with her big brown eyes, but did nothing except twitch her nose.  Ginny wondered if she understood the danger she was in. Was she thinking with her witch brain, or had she slipped into the bunny like she sometimes did?

Voldemort laid his hand between her bunny ears, and she scrunched within herself, but didn't attempt to run.  He scowled, taking his hand from her and telling her once again to transform.

Ginny hurt so much from the earlier spell that he had done that she didn't know whether or not there was anything she could do. Her mind didn't want to take in the situation.  It didn't seem to be working right. All she could think of was the pain she had experienced, and the fear of it kept her from reacting. Every movement felt like an effort, a movement through a deep unrelenting mire.

"Fine," spat Voldemort.  "Stay a bunny."

**_"Crucio!"_**

"Stay an animal forever."

Beatrice squeaked once and then writhed silently on the ground, her bunny mouth opening and closing as she struggled for a breath that wasn't there.

"Well, maybe not for that long. {Are you hungry Nagini?}"

"{Hisssuss!}" said Nagini excitedly.

Ginny's basilisk popped its head out at the word "hissuss" and tasted the air. Turning the Nagini's direction, it hissed, "{Not hissusss. Misstress sayss.}"

"You can't!  She's a person.  She's my friend," shouted Ginny.

"Calm down, Ginny Love.  You need your wits about you," warned Tom.

"If you say one more word, Virginia, I will kill her on the spot."  

Ginny's mouth snapped shut, silent tears streaming down her face.

Voldemort left Beatrice on the ground and brought his hands to rest upon Ginny's face, his thumb rubbing away the tear tracks with his false gentleness.. "Good," he said.  "I'm so glad you are seeing reason, Virginia.  I really didn't want to kill her.  The last time I tried to kill a child of prophecy, the spell had rather unforeseen consequences.  She is a child of the prophecy, isn't she?"

Ginny nodded.   She took a deep breath and tried to halt the tears.  "A friend's flight. A friend's mad dash May halt the moment of doom," quoted Ginny.

"Well, I don't think she'll be terribly effective at halting anything in the belly of my Nagini," said Voldemort, trailing his fingers down Ginny's face.  This time, pain accompanied the touch, hot searing pain, as he dug for an answer that she didn't have.  "Do you have any idea where my emerald is?"

"No.  I'm sorry.  I swear." Ginny started to cry again, and he pushed her away, disgusted.

"Please don't hurt her," Ginny begged.

"Ginny," said Tom. "He's already hurt her.  The proper words are don't kill her, but since the Crucio probably will seal her in her animal state-"

"Shut up, Tom," thought Ginny.

"Please," she begged. 'Please—Ma—Master—"

He paused, his slitted eyes regarding her and his lipless mouth moving into a half smile.  It was the first time she had called him Master without his urging, and they were both aware of that, but he was not inclined to mercy.  "You would think that spending a year with my diary would have taught you that tears do nothing to move me."  He paced to the fireplace.  "I was wondering how I was going to send you back to look for my emerald.  Now I know that you will not betray me."

"I wouldn't," said Ginny. "Didn't I come of my own free will?"

"Many come of their own free will," he said.  "But often they get squeamish when they realize what the job entails.You will return to Hogwarts, Virginia, and find my emerald."

Ginny stared at him blankly, unable to believe her luck. "Now?"

"No time like the present," said Voldemort.

Ginny's mind reeled with possibilities.  If she could go to Hogwarts, maybe someone would help her.  Dumbledore—Snape—McGonagall—but she couldn't.  It was holiday.  

"But it's holiday.  I'm not supposed to be there."

"Too true."

"I could get caught—"

"I wouldn't advise it.

"The teachers are there—some of them anyway.  Dumbledore may be popping in and out.  He's busy with this Phoenix, so he probably won't have time for children playing in his school.  I'd stay out of his way."  Voldemort placed a finger under her chin and raised her eyes to look at him.  "Don't do anything foolish, or your friend will suffer," said Voldemort.

"But what if he—"  Ginny struggled for the words she wanted to say, her thoughts feeling confused and fuzzy.  "What if someone sees me?"  
  


"Then you come back here.  Put your wand to your Dark Mark and it will alert me that my anti-Apparition wards need to be removed momentarily for you."

"I don't know how to Apparate—"

Voldemort frowned. "That's terribly inconvenient," he said. "Very well, I'll give you three days to find the emerald and then I'll summon you."

"Summon?" squeaked Ginny, remembering Karkaroff arriving in the circle with his arm in flames.

"Yes, then I will handle your Apparition. Believe me you'll get here in one piece.  I promise you."

"Couldn't I have a portkey?"

"And risk it falling into the wrong hands.  I think not.  You may use my floo now," said Voldemort. "{Come.}" 

Picking up Bea bunny, he walked swiftly from the room without looking back, Nagini following in his wake, and Ginny hurried to keep up with them.  Not following was not an option.  He had already opened the wards on a door that she never knew existed in an obscure part of the castle.  He dropped the bunny on a chair, in a binding spell and turned to light the fire.  He said a spell.  Ginny couldn't catch all of the words.  It was in another language—not parseltongue, but Tom seemed to understand.  

"{Hissuss!}" Nagini spoke, examining the prone bunny. Ginny snatched her friend from in front of Nagini and her basilisk hissed a warning at the much larger snake.

"{Perhaps, Nagini,}" Voldemort answered in parseltongue, "{but you must be patient.}"

"Where does this go?" asked Ginny.   "I thought Pritch was to close the direct floo from Hogwarts to here."

"From the Slytherin common room to here," Voldemort corrected. "This will take you to your professor's office. You will say, 'Severus' Office' when you enter the flames."

"Then I can come back via floo," surmised Ginny.

"No, said Voldemort, dumping a pinch of floo powder into her hand.  "Only I can open this particular fireplace and I am not sitting vigil at it. It is the only one within the castle with the capability to be hooked to the outside.  Any other fire will simply deposit you in another portion of the castle, and it could be a place you like even less than where you were. Of course, none of my Death Eaters have ever left me—" said Voldemort softly, drawing his finger along her cheek.  "Except through death."

The cold smile on his lips made Ginny shudder.  While she watched, he picked up Beatrice and sat down in a nearby chair, settling her frozen form on his lap. The basilisks on his arm, hissing with curiosity, had snaked down to examine the bunny as he ran his fingers from the tip of her wriggling nose to between her bunny ears.  He made no move to stop them, in fact he encouraged their inspection, hissing softly to them. He looked at Ginny, his malevolent red eyes intense.  "Go!" he said.

Ginny threw the floo powder.  "Severus Office," she said.

+++

Fonzie:  Thanks.  Hope you sign in next time you review.  I'd like to read some of your stories.

Hueyy:  Is that supposed to be Huey?    I hope you sign in next time.  I'd like to read some of your stories.

CMS:  Thanks

Hermione Granger101986:  So are there really 101,986 Hermione Grangers on fanfic.  Lol  Thanks for the kudos.  More coming

Kayleigh:  Thanks for the review.  

Emma-Trelawny:  More Ginny/Tom is coming honest.  Some really fun stuff later in the book, but I have to set up the trio stuff first.  Stay with me.

Sky:  Good to see you again.  More Ginny/Tom shortly.

Adaneth:  I will consider the possibility of counting people who answer on Yahoo Group as a review, but I'm not sure if I can do that.  Please see author's note below.   

Trillium:  Glad you liked the booby traps.  Hope it whet your appetite for more.

WesleyPeppers:  Garrett. I only intend to count your review once.  That also includes your anonymous ones.  It's the legimency.  It even works over the computer, so behave yourself.  Smirks.  That said,  thanks for your comments.

Jager:  You miss Tom?  Ahh.  He'd be so pleased.  I'll pass the word along.

Becky:  OK, I met a girl named Becky at summer camp and thought maybe you were her, because she was reading the hard copy of SEERS TRUTH, but never reviewed online.  I guess you're not her.  Oh well.  Thanks for your review.  Thanks for noticing the "Imperio and the ebony."  Enough action for you in this chapter?

Silverfox1:  Loved your comment _Oh dear! After just barely surviving an empty house, they think they can take on a house full of Muggles?_  And just imagine, how are they going to deal with the Snow Castle.

Kemenran:  Always original

Ennui deMorte:  I know, no Draco in the last chapter and no Draco in this chapter, but you can attest there is much more Draco coming. Your favorite. Lol. Thank you for a great job betaing, and for your insightful reviews.

**Author's Note:  I love your reviews.  It makes me feel special and appreciated.  For those of you who are asking me to update with only ten reviews and especially those who are "fudging the data" by putting in false anonymous reviews, please understand that  when I wrote the first SEERS TRUTH book,  THE BROKEN BEGINNING, I had a lead of _40 chapters_ before I put the first one up on fanfic.  If you, the readers are caught up to me, then I have no time to proofread, not for spelling and grammar so much as for plot mistakes.  Yes, I do occasionally make them. Not often, and ennui usually catches them, but nothing helps me to find them so easily than working forward a little and then going back to be sure all items were fore shadowed properly.  For example, I wrote several chapters ahead in SEERS TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING  and realized I hadn't given Ginny the portkey she needed at the end.  Luckily the chapter in question was only up on fanfic for about a half hour and only two people had read it before I fixed the mistake.  You do want the story to be up to my usual standards, don't you?  Then be patient.  I promise you won't have to wait as long as Salazar did for his heir.  Lol.**

**While you are waiting, check out the group at Yahoo.  It's a lot of fun.  **

**w—groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Seers_Truth**

**Thanks for your patience,**

**Lady Lestrange**


	5. CH 5: Visions of Voldemort

The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness

By Lady Lestrange

Chapter 5

Visions of Voldemort 

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor the characters nor the world created by JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. Thanks JK.

THANKS: To my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui de Morte.

(Author's note:  In the previous chapter, Draco sent an owl dated for December 23, asking the trio to meet him on December 24.  The trio is still meeting him on the 24th, but the date of the note should correctly read, December 22.  Even though the trio is good, they can't possibly squeeze the amount of action coming into such a short time.   Sorry for the error. -LL)

"Severus' Office," said Ginny.  The sound of her voice calling one of the most feared and respected teacher at Hogwarts by his first name, still echoed in her ears as she tumbled through the floo network.  When she arrived, sooty and disheveled, that same teacher was standing at the fireplace with his wand trained on her.

"Miss Weasley?" he said in surprise.

She took one look at him and all the resolve that she had when she left the Snow Castle melted into tears.  She found herself burying her head on his shoulder while he stood unmoving, still holding his wand behind her back.  "I don't know what to do," she sobbed.  "Poor Beatrice—she—she—"

After his initial moment of shock, he grasped her by the shoulders and shook her roughly.  "You didn't leave him?" he said worriedly.  A large black dog barked once and bounded forward.  For just a moment, Ginny thought it was Sirius, but with a wave of his wand, Snape silenced it, saying **_"Mutus, Somnus!"_ **and Ginny realized that the dog was a little smaller than Sirius.

Ginny looked at it but it didn't quite register the fact that Snape actually had a dog in his office.  "Yes—I—" Ginny stuttered.

Severus sucked in his breath.  "You got past his wards…" he said incredulously, but Ginny found it hard to concentrate, her brain feeling like wet sand.

_"She didn't," said Tom.  "I probably could have."_

"You have to go back," Snape snapped, shoving her away from him and simultaneously drying her eyes and doing a glamour charm on her.  "Get control of yourself this instant, Miss Weasley."

"He sent me," Ginny hiccupped, and Snape was suddenly not so anxious to return her to the Snow Castle.

Her voice came in a rush.  "He said I have three days to find his emerald, but I can't."  The tears started to fall again and she explained between sobs. "I have to get it, but it's given to me and no one gave it to me yet and there are no students here now, so how can anyone—" she sobbed and sniffled against his shoulder again.

"Just stop," said Snape irritably, pushing her to arm's length. "I refuse to allow my robe to become your handkerchief."  He held out his hand and conjured one from thin air with a snap of his fingers.  He gave her the handkerchief with the order, "Blow your nose and wipe your eyes."

She did.

"Good," said Snape.  "Now take a couple deep breaths and get yourself under control before you try to speak. Better?"  

Ginny nodded.

"Sit down."

Ginny perched on the edge of a hard back chair usually reserved for miscreants who were summoned to Snape's office.  Her stomach immediately knotted up again.

"Now answer my questions."

"Yes Sir," said Ginny. "But he—"

"Did he send you to me?" interrupted Snape.

"To Hogwarts to find his emerald," said Ginny.

"The emerald he's been looking for since the beginning? The one Helga took?"

Tom gasped, but Ginny pushed on.

She nodded.  "He knows I am supposed to give it to him—"

_"It never says you're supposed to give it to him. It says you're supposed to get it."_

"There's another prophecy," Ginny continued. "It was in his book.  He has to know this.  I can't—I can't get the emerald and he's just going to hurt Beatrice—" Ginny started to cry again. "And–And—"

Snape whirled around, his robe swirling.  He gripped Ginny's shoulders tightly. "He has Beatrice?"

Ginny nodded miserably. "He did _Crucio, and she's still a bunny. He said she'll be a bunny forever, and he'll feed her to Nagini—" Ginny sobbed aloud._

Snape's pale skin turned even paler than usual, and he clenched his fists tighter on Ginny's shoulders.

"Sir?" said Ginny, attempting to pull away from his grip.

He released her and paced away muttering a line of swear words that turned Ginny's ears red.  "Couldn't you have kept her hidden for just a little while?  And even if he saw her, couldn't you have passed her off as being from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons?"

"I didn't think of it," said Ginny weakly. 

"Gryffindors.  Don't think at all," muttered Snape.

_"My sentiments exactly," said Tom._

"Shut up, Tom," she muttered. "I was trying to get her home."

Snape frowned.  "How?"

"Did I just say that aloud?" thought Ginny.  "Oh Merlin—"

"I think so," said Tom.  "Better talk to him before he thinks about it too much."

"Alvin Nott was going to take her through the floo when he left," said Ginny.

"Nott?" said Snape incredulous.  "Alvin Nott?"

"Yes, but he didn't know.  I told Him that Alvin didn't know, but he—he—" Ginny broke off, cringing with the memory.

Snape rubbed his head.  "How many?" he asked.

"How many?" said Ginny confusedly.

"How many _Crucio_s did Alvin take?" Snape asked.  "Is he conscious?"

"Three," answered Ginny.  "He said he wasn't allowed to breathe, even after he lifted the curse and—"

"Breathe?" interrupted Snape urgently. "Do you know if he used Breathe on Beatrice too?"

"I—I don't," said Ginny. "Maybe. Does it make a difference?"  She brightened, "Will she be alright?"

"No," said Snape shortly. "She will not be alright."  He lifted her face and looked into her eyes.  "You weren't _Crucioed were you?"_

"No."

"I didn't think so.  It's something else—"

"He touched me.  It felt like fire and then afterwards I was so tired, as if I had been swimming all day in a sucking bog."

"Did he say a spell?"

Ginny shook her head.  "He threatened to, but he only touched me."

Snape nodded.  "Just the Legilimency then. Which no doubt was bad enough."  Snape pulled a chair next to hers and looked directly into her face.  "Virginia, I have a very important question to ask you.  I need you to remember what you were thinking of when he touched you."

"I don't know. I was frightened."

"It's important," said Snape.  

"He touched me more than once.  When I told him about the prophecy—the one about Bea and the one about his emerald."  Ginny sniffed.  "He seemed to think there was more.  Or—or that I was lying.  He—He—hurt me—"

Snape closed his eyes.  "So he wasn't pleased with what he saw?" Snape asked.

"No.  Then he pushed me away. I hit my head." She felt the lump with the drying blood self consciously, "And then after he _Ennervated_ me—"

"You were unconscious?  You were unconscious in his presence?" Snape interrupted, the tone of fear undisguised in his voice.

"Only for a moment, I'm sure," said Ginny.

Snape ran a hand through his lank hair and grabbed her hand pulling her to her feet.

"Come on. You'll stay here in Slytherin. That way we won't have to explain your absence to Professor McGonagall when you have to go back."

"Here?" said Ginny 

"Yes, come on.  There are quite a number of rooms which are empty.  You can choose.  We need to stop off in the potions room though.  I need a draught for you."

"What kind of draught?" asked Ginny.

"For your headache," said Snape.  "I presume you have one, after being knocked unconscious…nothing too strong with a head injury; you'll be awake in time for lunch."

"Yes, but—"

"Just something to neutralize the feeling that your thoughts have been sifted through and dumped back haphazardly into your head."  

"It's not that bad," said Ginny.  "My thoughts have been rather haphazard for a while now." 

"What do you mean for a while, Ginny Love.  Your thoughts have always been haphazard.  Mine are well organized."

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just worried about Beatrice," she said

Snape looked at her speculatively.  "Stay in the room." he said, "Rest."

"Yes.  I will.  I'm okay now." 

"Good girl," said Snape succinctly and gesturing to a corridor, he said,  "Choose a room. Except for the third door on the right. We don't use it. It's haunted and the ghost is rather nasty."

"You have a haunted dorm room?" said Ginny looking down the corridor at the indicated door as she opened the one closest to the corner.

"Ward your door however you like," said Snape.  He peered into the room and frowned at the unmade beds.  He raised a hand and without even speaking the word Accio, several blankets and sheets flew from the direction of his rooms. He thrust them at her and turned into the corridor, stating, "I'll have a house elf pop some lunch up to you."

"Wait," she said looking at the sheets.  "I'm not staying here over night—"

"I thought he said three days," replied Snape. "That would be two nights."

"But—

"Rest," he said.  "Stay here.  I have something I have to do. I'll be back shortly, and then we'll talk." 

"Sir," she asked suddenly, "what if he—he—calls me?"

Snape shook his head. "He won't. He said three days, it will be three days."  He gestured behind them. "I have something I have to take care of first—and then I'll be in my rooms behind my office." Snape continued down the hall to the potions dungeon.  Ginny watched him go.

When she entered the room, she realized she didn't have a single thing with her that was her own. She had forgotten her shoes at the Snow Castle. The sheets and blankets in her hands were Snape's, or Hogwarts'.  The handkerchief was Snape's.  The robe was His.  Even her undergarments were not hers.  They were probably Maura's or conjured.  She didn't know.  

"{I'm yoursss,  Missstresss,}" said a small voice near her ear.

"You stupid Gryffindor, stop feeling sorry for yourself.  All of your stuff is up in Gryffindor Tower.  You can go get it after lunch."

"I hate it when you're right," said Ginny as she put the sheets on the bed.

"I know," said Tom.  "Go to sleep."

Ginny lay down on the bed, but although she felt exhausted by her ordeal, she couldn't possibly sleep.  It was the middle of the day, and Beatrice was in trouble, possibly dead.  Tears leaked from her eyes onto the crisp white pillowcase.  She stared at the ceiling and tried to remember exactly when Voldemort touched her.  

It seemed so important to Snape—when she first told of the prophecy about Beatrice and when he wanted to know about the emerald and when he said to stay out of Dumbledore's way or Bea would suffer, and right before she left, when he said, Of course, none of his Death Eaters had ever left him except through death.  

But that wasn't true, she thought, there was Snape—

Fear pierced through her like a river of ice.  "Oh Tom!  Did I think that?  Did I think about Snape while he was touching me?"

++

When the trio returned to Hermione's house, after their conversation with Grandma Lori and Samara's brothers, Pig was contentedly nibbling the owl snacks in the kitchen.

"This came for you," said Hermione's Mum, holding out a letter.  It was addressed to Ron from the twins. 

"You stupid bird," complained Ron. "You're supposed to deliver the letter to a person, not a house.  What if this were urgent?"

Pig gave a little hoot and pounced on a treat.  Ron sighed and opened the letter. 

_Ron,_

_We were going to pop right over and tell you, but Hermione said to owl first, so we won't be coming after all.  Got the clock fixed.  It says "Hogwarts" so we're going after her. We will portkey over as soon as we get back._

_Fred and George_

"It's Ginny," muttered Ron. "Ginny's at Hogwarts."

"Let's go," said Harry.

"Wait.  We can't.  We don't have a portkey.  We're not connected to the floo."

"Apparate?" suggested Ron.

"Right," spat Hermione.  "It's one thing to Apparate across the room or across the school grounds, it's quite another to Apparate across the country."

"No, it's not," said Ron.

"On the contrary," said Hermione. "There might be some hope of the Ministry finding the pieces if you splinch across the school grounds, but if you splinch across the country—"

"I'm not going to splinch!" said Ron.  "I didn't even think of splinching until you put the vision of body parts half way across England into my head.  Well, now I can't Apparate, can I?"  Ron got such a look of revulsion on his face that Harry laughed.

"It doesn't matter," said Harry, "unless you think you could manage that Apparition wandlessly.  We'd have the Ministry officials down on us so fast—"  

"You're right," said Hermione.  "I just wasn't thinking."

Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the next few hours decorating for Christmas with Hermione's Mum and Dad.  Actually, Harry thought it was fun, or rather, it would have been fun if he wasn't so worried about Ginny, Samara and Beatrice.  Hermione's parents had a lot of old decorations that belonged to Hermione's grandparents and great grandparents.  It made Harry feel connected to the past to see the old hand painted Muggle decorations, some of which Hermione said her great grandmother had made. 

"I made this one," she said, holding up a little Christmas tree that twinkled every color imaginable.

"A _Lumos _charm," said Harry.

"Right," Hermione laughed.  "I made it first year.  I was so proud of myself."

Only Hermione could have managed that charm in first year, thought Harry, examining yet another Muggle doll made of glue and sticks.

"Great Grandma Granger made that," Hermione told him.

It made him feel rather sad that he had nothing of this sort from his own mum and dad or their parents.  Everything that belonged to his grandparents seemed to have been lost in the time of Voldemort's reign.  Probably burned their houses too, thought Harry sadly thinking of what he had seen in the pensieve with the Doogle sisters and the Bones.  He turned the doll over in his hand.

"Hey Mate," said Ron, punching his arm. "You look a million miles away.  How about some eggnog?  Hermione's pouring."

"Oh yeah. Sure," said Harry, putting the fragile doll on the tree and following Ron into the kitchen. 

++

After Virginia left, Voldemort sat thoughtfully looking at the fire, holding the terrified bunny in his lap.

"{Was I wrong to let her go, Nagini?}" he asked in parseltongue. "{If she's the prophecy child, and I lose her—}"

"{She will be back, Sisshauss-A-Sisshauss,}" Nagini predicted.  "{She will not want to lose the hisssus.}"

"{Perhaps,}" said Voldemort.  "{But I want her loyalty, not just her obedience.}"

"{Where's bitemate?}" asked one of the young basilisks, poking its head out and looking at the fire. Voldemort shushed it, pushing its head back under his robe sleeve.

"{Be still,}" Volemort hissed.

"{What is the difference?}" asked Nagini.

"{Between loyalty and obedience?  Perhaps nothing,}" said Voldemort, stroking Nagini's head with his opposite hand.  

"Loyalty is something you will never have from her," contradicted the voice of Tom Riddle in his head.  "She hates you."

"You may be right," Voldemort replied, "But she will do nothing to harm this body, because she thinks it is yours." Voldemort smiled at the licking flames as he continued to stroke Nagini.

"Thinks?  **It is mine**, more's the pity," said Tom.

"Do you need reminded who is in control of this body?" Voldemort asked his nemesis, while reaching for his wand.

Tom didn't answer, and Voldemort went back to his musing. It bothered him that Virginia was able to resist his Legilimency.  She shouldn't have been that strong.  He knew he hadn't been gentle with her, and yet, she still resisted.  How?  The question nagged at him and forced him to rethink decisions already made.  She should have cowered and cried before him, but she didn't.  

He thought back to the moment in Hogwarts when he was standing with the two girls. He was quite certain that the spell shield originated from Samara, but then, when Ginny released her hand, she collapsed.  He wished he had been watching them more closely when Samara collapsed.  The question was, did Ginny support Samara, or did Samara support Ginny?  It was imperative that he answer this question correctly.  He thought it was Samara, but then, where did Ginny get the strength she had?  

He thought back to the day she received her Dark Mark.  Then, too, she exhibited uncommon strength.  It was unusual for a Weasley to have such power, but he knew Molly was distantly related to the Oglesby's.  It was a stretch, but he supposed the power could manifest that far.  When he thought again of the prophecy, he knew that if the Hufflepuff in question was Cedric, then the prophecy child was Samara.  If the Hufflepuff was Quirrel, then the prophecy child could be Ginny.  No, he thought, shaking his head.  Ginny was only important until she found his emerald.   Samara was the prophecy child. She had said so.

After a moment, he began to second guess himself again.  What if she believed she was the Prophecy Child because Dumbledore told her she was. Would Dumbledore have lied to Samara? If Dumbledore knew—Am I trusting Dumbledore's judgment?  Blimey!  Voldemort frowned. He didn't think Dumbledore lied, but then, he never thought that Dumbledore would have lied to Harry Potter and it was now obvious that he did, at least through omission. No, Dumbledore was a Gryffindor and, like Godric, he had that unshakeable honor.  Lying through omission was one thing, but he would not sacrifice one child for another.  Even if he would stoop to such ministrations, he would be afraid to sacrifice another child to save the prophecy child.  It would affect the prophecy itself. The prophecy said, Do not sacrifice children or truth.  Yes, there was the crux of the matter.  Voldemort stood and began to pace.  He had to answer this question correctly.  Everything depended upon it. Had Dumbledore really respected the prophecy or did he try to manipulate it, if not through the child, through truth and half truths?  

If only Samara would wake of her own accord and he could search her to know for sure. He could force her to use the magic, especially the healing magic, and see how powerful she really was. Draco was the key here. He was quite certain that she would heal Draco of any ills he suffered, even if it put her own life in peril.  Women were weak that way. He would have to be careful, though.  If she knew he was responsible for Draco's pain, she would mistrust him.  There were others he could use to hurt Draco though.  It didn't have to be by his own hand. Pity.  

He sank back into the sofa and looked at the fire. He wondered if he dared use the Legilimency on her before she awoke, or if the pain would push her over into death. Well, he had risked dabbling on the edge of death before.  

He would give Ginny her three days of freedom, and perhaps, when she returned, she would be more amenable to him.  At the very least, he would see how loyal she really was, and when she came back, she may be persuaded to tell him what he wanted.  One way or another, he thought, picking up the bunny by the scruff of its neck and peering into its unblinking brown eyes.  Then, if he could not find out what he wanted to from Ginny's mind, he would search Samara's and death be damned.  He had thwarted it before.  He could do so again.

That decision made, he dropped the bunny into a conjured cage and stretched  The vertebrae in his neck cracked relieving the tension.  

"{Massster hurtsss,}" said Nagini. "{I will leave your shoulders.}"

"{It doesn't matter Nagini.  Pain and I are old acquaintances,}" said Voldemort, stroking her scales where she lay across his shoulder.

"{At least when bones crack, Master, the trade should be the cracking of an overly large hisssuss' bones,}" said Nagini.

Volemort laughed, thinking of Nagini's comparison of his neck to her own jaw bones.  "{Yes, well, I'm hoping there will be an overly large hisssuss in our midst soon.}"

"{Harry Potter?}" asked Nagini hopefully.

"{Perhaps,}" said Voldemort, "{But more importantly, Dumbledore.}"

"{Old and tough,}" observed Nagini.  "{Young onesss sssoft. Digests better, making stronger.}"

The word Nagini used was sissshausss, to eat and make the prey part of your power.  It was a particular snake word that Nagini often used to describe Voldemort himself: Great-One-Always-Hungry. Sissshausss-A -Sissshausss.

"{Yesss. They do, don't they.}" Voldemort agreed with a chuckle. 

"{Hisssuss young serpents?}" asked Nagini.

"{No,}" said Voldemort sternly.  "{Most certainly not.  You will not kill my basilisks, and I've told you that once.  I don't want to have to tell you again.}"  His voice dropped to a whisper.  "{You would get hurt—}"

"{Babies,}" scoffed Nagini.  "{Stupid babies.}"

"{Hisssuss!}" hissed one of the basilisks, and the two he had on his arms began to move restlessly, speaking haughtily to Nagini.

"{Hush!}" Voldemort told the basilisks, thinking that they did seem rather slower to grasp simple concepts than the basilisks he had trained in the past, but Nagini didn't know that.  They could be slow for many reasons though.  It could be that he was spending much less time with each individual, trying to rotate them with Samara's group.  Plus, the ones that were on Samara for so long were hesitant to bite him.  He was worried that they had started to imprint on Samara, even though they had never bitten her.  The excess Elemental magic that she was immersed in could have something to do with that.  He saw how attracted to the magic they were with Wormtail. He hadn't realized that in the Chamber where the magic was so prolific.

Another reason for their sluggishness might be the lessening of magic in the world at large.  It affected all magical animals. Since the Muggles dropped their Bomb in 1945, the magic had eroded faster than ever, and there were major breaks in the fabric of the magic. Wild herds of the Pegasus used to live on the Hillside above Hogsmeade as little as fifty years ago, but they were gone now. Dragons were absent entirely from England and he knew for a fact that Unicorns could no longer Apparate. 

He smiled. It was a pleasant surprise five years ago when he needed Unicorn blood.  It was entirely possible that these basilisks were simply not as magically advanced as the basilisks of a thousand years ago, or even of fifty years ago. Another difference was the increased physical stimuli of being out of the Chamber of Secrets, or it could be because the Chamber of Secrets itself was a magical environment.

The little basilisks were still hissing angrily and Nagini was still recounting the problems of children. "{The reason why I never bothered with young,}" she said.

"{Nagini,}" interrupted Voldemort with a wry smile. "{The reason you never bothered with young is because I never chose to obtain a mate for you.}"  Voldemort pushed the noisy little basilisks under his sleeve and ordered them to be silent.  "{Nagini,}" he said, "{I believe you are jealous.}"

"{They will grow,}" observed Nagini. "{Who will have the warmth of your shoulder?}"

"{You will, Nagini,}" said Voldemort, thinking indeed they would grow—too big for his shoulders.

A shiver of magic and a violet glow touched the warded door.  It was one of his Death Eaters seeking access to him.  He sighed, thinking of his stone basilisks who would tell him exactly who was at the door and what their intentions were.  Basilisk sentries that used to guard The Slytherin Manor before it was destroyed, the likes of which were only present in the Chamber now, and he no longer had the magic to create sentient stone.  Damn Muggles and their interference!  Perhaps when they were all gone from the land, the magic would regenerate itself.  One could hope. With a thought and a wave of his hand, he released the wards on the door.

Valeriana Lestrange stood on the threshold.  "Master." She sank to her knees, her jet black hair streaked near the front with tiny bits of silver, fell about her face as she bowed her head. Azkaban had aged her, he thought.  Her flesh, never particularly radiant like her sisters, now was a sallow grayish color, and her body, once strong and tempting, was now all angles and corners, but magic was the same. The magic never changed within her.  He remembered when she was born, the last of Carman's children, the last and the best, he thought, motioning her into the room with him and moving Nagini off of his shoulder and onto the sofa next to him.  Valeriana walked slowly into the room to face him and knelt to kiss his robe.  He laid his hand on her head like a blessing, remembering her as a precocious toddler.

Andromeda had been Carman's first child, left too often with house elves and Hufflepuffs while He and Carman planned the domination of the world.  Big plans often left little details unfinished.  Andromeda was one of those.  By the time Carman and her husband, Braen, realized what was happening, Andromeda was enamored of a Muggleborn.  He and Carman had wanted to eliminate the little vermin. Braen disagreed.

"Funny thing to say when you, yourself are a half-blood."

"**You are the half-blood, Tom. Not me."**

"It's my body."

"Since I created a new body last year, it's no longer yours."

"You used bone of my father, a Muggle, as well as Harry Potter, another with tainted blood. And my mother," mocked Tom. "This body is still more mine than yours."

Salazar reached for his wand and silenced Tom.  His thoughts went back to Carman, even though this daughter kneeling at his feet looked nothing like her.  She had gained her tall stature and her dark hair from her father. He allowed his hand to move absently through her silky hair.

"It's just a phase," Braen had insisted. "Andromeda will get over him."

But Andromeda didn't get over him.  She married him, and then it was too late to eliminate him.  Andromeda was pregnant with his child. Perhaps it would be a Squib, they had hoped, and then killing it would be no problem. Unfortunately, it was a little witch.  They named her Nymphadora. Carman had better luck with her next two daughters. Barely a year apart were the two who looked so much like his Carman, the brains and the beauty, Laurel and Narcissa. Well, he had told Carman, who had been named for the goddess of chaos, "You didn't get your three sons, but you do have three daughters."

"Yes," she had laughed as little Andromeda escaped her house elf and tripped around her mother, trying to avoid her two younger sisters combined efforts to get her to play with them. "Darkness, Evil and Violence."

"Go and play," snapped Carman shoving Andromeda from behind her.  

"They're too rough," complained Andromeda.

"They're Slytherins," said Carman. "As are you."

 "I don't want to hurt them," Andromeda returned.  Narcissa and Laurel, however, had no such compunction and regularly joined forces against their older sister.

"You're the oldest," said Carman.  "Act like it."  

But Andromeda had never been a leader.  The leader was born as the youngest, Valeriana.  Valeriana who knelt before him now, Valeriana, who had taken every trick her older sisters ever knew and improved upon them and made them her own.  Valeriana, who was faithful to him for thirteen years in Azkaban.

Her dark eyes were darting about the room, searching as if she expected some enemy in hiding.  He wondered, not for the first time, if Azkaban had unhinged her.

"Thirteen years of loyalty to you?" questioned Tom. "She was unhinged before she went to Azkaban."

"Back so soon, Tom," thought Voldemort as he wrapped his hand around his wand and once again silenced the voice of his nemesis in his head.  

"Valeriana," he said, and her focus came back to him.

"My lord."

"Sit and tell me your news."  He indicated the chair opposite him.

She sat on the chair and put her hands on the armrests momentarily, but she jerked them away, as if she expected chains to erupt from them.  When nothing happened and he silently awaited her report, she seemed to relax.  "The Mulcibers have found the passwords to Amelia Bone's house," she said, but they are changed every four hours.  They will have to gain them again, right before we go to retrieve Madam Bones.."  As she spoke Valeriana seemed to relax a little more, and her eyes stayed on him instead of darting to the shadows.

Voldemort nodded glad that he had replaced the Scrimgoers with the Mulicibers.  "The Minister of Magical Law is friends with the Scrimgoers, then?"

"Yes, my Lord. They have visited Madam Bones several times in the past few weeks.  It shouldn't be a problem for them to get the passwords at any given time, but having only four hours will not allow them to babysit Moody."

"I see. I'll have to consider who will be best for that job," said Voldemort.  "It's a great pity Barty Crouch is dead.   He and Moody thought so alike it was uncanny."

"Yes, Master," said Valeriana hesitating.

"Is there something else?"

"No, Master."  She looked down.  Not at the shadows.  Not at his face.

It was obvious to him that she was lying.  "Come here."

She came a bit hesitantly and he stood, laying his hands upon her face, which was beginning to glow with a bit of color now.  He wondered what it was that she, the most loyal of his loyal Death Eaters, was hiding from him. As he touched her, she hid nothing from him. Desire struck him full in the face.  It was hot and insistent.  She raised her smoky black eyes to his and parted her lips waiting.

Tom, in his head, broke into gales of uncontrollable laughter. "The snake and the ghoul.  What a pair you two make!  Pity the cost of immortality was so high, Salazar.  You can't even enjoy it, can you?" Tom positively howled with mirth.  The mockery that Tom was making of her loyalty angered him beyond belief, and he closed his fist on his wand, wanting with every fiber of his being to kill the owner of the annoying voice in his head.

The sudden scent of searing flesh filled the room, and Valeriana pulled away surprised. "My lord?"

He said nothing, trying to control the waves of pain emanating from his burned hand. "You should have a husband—" he began.

"I don't want a husband," Valeriana sneered.  "I never wanted a husband."  Boldly she laid her fingers on the skin at his neck, letting the magic flow.  "Tell me when to quit," she cooed like a giddy school girl, pressing her lips against the dry scales that mingled with human skin on his neck.

He hesitated, exploring the feelings coursing though him.  Surprise mostly, that anyone would in any way desire what he called his body now. Surprise and regret that her magic, which should have felt wonderful, felt like bugs crawling on his skin. Tom was right.  He had traded pleasure for power and he felt no desire at all for her. The only feelings that moved him at all were those associated with death and pain. 

"I want to feel—your magic," she whispered

He knew what he was missing and regret twisted inside of him, as he caught her hands and pushed her roughly away.  "Do you think I care what you want?" he growled.

"Then kill me now," she shouted, flinging Laurel's wand to the ground and pacing away from him.  "Do you think I waited all that time in Azkaban for a dream of wizard superiority?  For Muggle killing and raids on Dumbledore and Aurors?  Do you think I waited for that?"  

Her outburst surprised him, excited him, angered him.  She advanced on him as no other Death Eater would have, her black eyes flashing fire, and her angular body gaining some measure of grace with her emotion.  "Go ahead then," she demanded, throwing her arms out to the side.  "Kill me now.  I have nothing left to live for."  She threw her head back, dark eyes flashing, her red lips pulled back in a sneer.

He grabbed her hair and pushed her against the wall.  "Be careful what you wish for, Valeriana. I could just as easily use Crucio as Avada."

"Do it then!" she said in a low voice. "After thirteen years without magic, there is nothing you can do to me that scares me. Nothing. The Dementors have done it all already."  Her black eyes challenged him and mocked him and beckoned him. He wanted to protect her from the Dementors, to kiss her, to make her bend to his will. He wanted so much more than his snake body would give him.

He wrapped his hands more tightly in her hair and placed his fingers against her throat. He felt the bravado starting to slip from her and he smiled. **"Crucio!"** he said.

Through his touch, he felt the hot smoke filled her lungs and she struggled for a moment to breathe, before she expertly switched to breathing magic.  He felt her make the switch, and held his breath himself in concert with her for a moment and then drew heavily on the air Elemental.  Her body quivered with the fear of death.  Regardless to what she said, she was afraid.  He felt the fear through the Legilimency. Fear, primal and stark within her, and the magic laced with pain and fear excited him like nothing else she could have done. He tightened his hands around her as she struggled against the pain and fear, both increasing until he felt her suddenly go limp in his arms and he released the Crucio, burying his face in her hair, and releasing to the air Elemental several shuddering breaths.

"That was supremely stupid," Tom commented dryly. "The one person you are sure of—the one person you can trust and you Crucio her into unconsciousness.  I thought Gryffindors were the stupidest things alive, but I have to revise my opinion."

"Shut up, Tom," muttered Salazar, too preoccupied to reach for his wand.

But Tom continued berating him. "No wonder Helga left you, you stupid, sadistic, son of a—"

Salazar's fingers closed on the wand, and silenced the annoying prat.

Salazar re-warded the door and sat, holding her in the darkening room.  He shifted her in his arms and pulled the container of Phoenix ointment from his robe.  He rubbed the last dregs of the potion from the container, and shared it between his scarred and burning palms.  He would have to tell Snape he needed more. The basilisks, confused and wary of the heightened emotion and smell of burnt flesh, stirred uncomfortably, hissing and tasting the air.

"{Hisssuss?}" one asked, confused.

"{Not hisssuss,}" answered Voldemort, "{But part of my power nonetheless.}" 

Nagini moved close to his warmth, saying nothing. 

"{She knows I didn't feel her magic,}" Voldemort hissed softly to Nagini, but still Nagini said nothing, and, at last, Valeriana drew a long breath into her lungs and opened her eyes.  She seemed surprised to find herself held in the Dark Lord's arms and she struggled to a sitting position. A wrack of coughing assaulted her, and, eyes watering, she looked at him, her huge dark eyes full of questions.  

He said nothing, only touched her face with a long finger.  He dragged it down from the corner of her cheekbone to her chin, waiting for the thoughts to come. He was not disappointed, although he sensed that she was trying to hide these from him.

"He is as empty as I am," she thought. "Feeling nothing but the strongest emotions, death and fear and pain—" Pity. She pitied him. He clenched his fists. He would not have her pity.  He would rather have her hate.

"I have a task for you, Valeriana," he said flatly. "Since your lack of a husband seems to have turned you into a slut." He felt the pity immediately disappear from her thoughts, replaced by a simmering anger and he met her cold dark eyes.  "I want you to seduce Severus Snape."

She gaped at him open mouthed, and he traced a finger around her lips, sensing the anger in her thoughts. They were clear as a shout, "Go to hell!"

She wouldn't, of course, say the words out loud, but she knew he would sense them.  "I'm already there," he said softly, "The question is, Valeriana, whether or not you are going to come with me—"  

He remembered her saying that when she received her Dark Mark. "I'll follow you to hell and back, My Lord—" That's what she had said, with the Mark burning black on her skin, her eyes as black as the Mark, boring into him.

Valeriana stood to go without asking permission and he caught her shoulder.  His basilisks hissed angrily at the sudden movement. "And," he said softly, "you can return to me tomorrow."  He smiled thinly. "I rather enjoyed our little session."

She pulled out of his grasp and stalked to the door.  He watched her go, wondering if he should summon her back just to make a point, but, in the end, he let her go.  After all, he wanted her loyalty.

++

Nearly a thousand miles to the south west, Harry Potter sat up with a shudder. He pushed the damp bed sheets away and reminded himself that what he was feeling was not his—it belonged to Voldemort.  After a few ragged breaths, he decided he needed a shower.  He didn't care that Hermione's whole family was already in bed.  He flung his legs out over the side of the bed and stood up.

Harry needed to wash the filth from the dream off of his body.  He wished he could wash it from his mind.  In the shower, Harry turned the water on hot, and scrubbed himself with soap as he thought about the implications of the dream. Voldemort had Crucioed Valeriana—for no reason.  No, that wasn't right. There was a reason.  It just wasn't immediately apparent to him. A part of him felt like he had done that Cruciatus Curse. Enjoyed that Cruciatus Curse. He recoiled from the thought.  

Some people deserve it.  No. He wouldn't. He remembered Valeriana coaxing baby Neville to break the ward, and he wondered, Could he? Would he? You can't take pleasure from hurting anyone.  Not even Valeriana.  When he was satisfied his own principles were solidly in head, he stepped from the shower, dressed and went back to the room he shared with Ron.

Ron was sitting awake on the next bed.  "What's up, mate?" he asked. "Nightmare?"

Harry nodded.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Definitely not," said Harry lying back on the bed. But, after a moment, he said, "I cannot possibly describe to you how sick Voldemort and Valeriana are."

"Valeriana?  Lestrange?  As in Ethan and Edward's mother?" asked Ron.

"Yeah."

"And Voldemort?  Ew!"

"Um," Harry shook his head. "He Crucioed her and—um—enjoyed it."

"I don't suppose you saw any landmarks, did you?" asked Ron. "Any way to tell where they were?"

"I was in Voldemort's head," said Harry, "and he wasn't looking for landmarks."

"Did Valeriana say any thing?" asked Ron.

"Well, um—she was angry," said Harry, sitting up again.

"Angry?  At You-Know-Who?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, that's a good thing.  What was she angry about?"

"Ah—er—" Harry struggled with the thoughts, and he suddenly knew Snape was in danger.  Or was he?  Knowing Snape—

"Well?" persisted Ron. "What was she angry about?  What did she say?"

"Wait," said Harry. "Let me start from the beginning.  He was thinking about Ginny, and we have to talk to the twins, because she's only going to be at Hogwarts until Christmas.  He said, three days.  We have to find her tomorrow if your brothers haven't found her already." 

"Anything else?" asked Ron.

"I saw Beatrice," said Harry softly. "She's still a bunny.  He put her in a cage."

"Oh—" said Ron.

After a while, Ron spoke again, "Anything about Samara?"

"Nothing new," Harry said, wondering if should tell Ron about Snape. He closed his eyes, feigning sleep, but he couldn't get the thought of Snape out of his head. Should he tell Snape? 

"I'm not telling him about this dream," thought Harry furiously. "There is no way I'm telling Snape about this dream, not to save his life or mine. It's not like he's really in any danger—the slimy git."

Of course, with Snape being a Legilimens, he'll find out. This dream will no doubt be the first thing I'll think of the next time I see him.  It will pop right into my mind and if he knows—Oh no, I wish I could just turn off my mind. That's it.  I'll practice doing just that, but a stray thought kept coming back to Harry.  He could imagine hearing Snape's sneering voice, "Well Potter, that shouldn't be too hard. You always turn off your mind in my class."

Harry groaned and Ron looked worriedly in his direction.

+++

**PLEASE REVIEW**

Answers to Reviews 

Tiamat Warcraft:  Glad to see you're back.  Missed you. To the other readers, go checkout Tiamat's fics.

Reiven:  Well, it's about time you found your way back.  Sorry no Draco in the last chapter.  Hope you –well—um—er—I'm not sure "liked" is the proper word, but for lack of a better one, hope you "liked" Snape, Valeriana and Voldemort in this chapter.  Promise, more Draco before Christmas.  Sorry can't kill Dumbledore right now.   Glad you liked Ron too.  And no Draco isn't a virgin, please re-read "The Chamber of Forever" in THE SEERS' TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING

Adaneth:  Well, in the words of Tom, almost, something bad has already happened to Bea Bunny, the correct words are, "let's hope he doesn't kill her."  Muwhahaha!

Trillium:  OHMYGOSH.  I can't believe you are going to name your bunny, Beatrice.  Oh how wonderful.  I'm excited. Bet you hate Volde even more after this last chapter.  It was to convince all those who "like" him, that, well, he's not very likeable.

XASA:  We already know Samara's ancestry.  We learned that in THE SEERS' TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING.

Raven173:  Sirius is still around.  No plans to kill him in the immediate future, although who knows about later…

Sky:  Yes, things don't look good for Bea Bunny, do they?  Who know, though, with those indomitable Gryffs on her side, anything can happen.

Becky:  Knockturn is coming soon—before Christmas.

Wesley Peppers:  "great deceiver" implies that you deceived someone.  You didn't.  However, your heart was in the right place, so I'll forgive you this time.  The solution is to find more people who actually want to read the story.  That shouldn't be too hard.  It's a fun read.  If they are frightened of long books, send them to Fiction Alley (Snoogle), then they won't know how long it's going to be.  Now, that's Slytherin deception!  Thanks for being a faithful reader.  AND HAPPY BIRTHDAYJ

Jager:  Thanks for the kudos.  And I will keep writing.  Promise.

Silverfox1: Yes. Poor Bea.  And Draco will manage. He always does, doesn't he?  More Draco coming soon—and Knockturn.

Claret345: Koschei is Russian. It was the name of the snake in the Russian Ballet, THE FIREBIRD, which incidentally looks an aweful lot like the plot of  JK's The Chamber of Secrets.  I may have spelled it wrong—I think it has more letters than that.  It's spelled correctly when Samara mentions the ballet in the first book.  I'll have to look and change it, I think.  I like Neville too.  Always did.  I wish I did know a wood which means the power of the light, but I don't.  Maybe someone else does.

Ennui deMorte:  Another Draco free chaper.  Get ready though.  Lots more Draco to come.  And about Ginny's basilisk reprimanding Nagini.  A basilisk is a higher order of creature, being magic isn't it?  You were the one that got me thinking along those lines, and I appreciate it.  Thanks for a great job betaing.

Emma-Trelawny:  Lots more Ginny/Tom to come

Kemenran:  Always insightful


	6. CH 6 Shades of Secrets

THE SEERS TRUTH:  BEYOND THE DARKNESS 

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 6**  

**_Shades of Secrets_**

**15 Reviews**:  I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin.  It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear.  Love my readers and reviewers.  Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer:**  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  No money is made from this fanfic.  Thanks JK.

Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte 

+++

On the morning of the twenty third, the trio was sitting at Hermione's kitchen table having breakfast.  Crookshanks jumped up on the table and curiously sniffed the food, but Hermione put him off of the table and onto her lap.  

"Hermione," said her Mum warningly.

"I put him off of the table, Mum," said Hermione.  "He just isn't used to tables full of food.  He isn't allowed in the Great Hall."  Hermione continued to pet the cat for a moment, but at her mother's frown, she sighed, put  the cat down.

"Wash your hands," said Hermione's mum.  Obediently, Hermione went to the sink to wash her hands.

Hermione's Dad had already left for work.  Her Mum was planning on going in a little later that afternoon for the three o'clock rush when the phone rang.  

Hermione's Mum picked up the phone and frowned.  "Sure," she said reluctantly. "Tell him to come in this morning.  I understand.  No one wants to spend Christmas with a toothache, but make him aware he should have taken care of this last month like I told him."

"Going in to work after all?" questioned Hermione when her Mum got off the phone.  

"Yes, I'm sorry, Honey," she said.  "I thought we could spend a little time together.  I could come back and pick you up for lunch—"

"No, it's okay," said Hermione, hugging her Mum. "You don't want to have to drive back here through the traffic during the day—"

"We'll see you tonight, by six o'clock sharp, then."

"I'll cook dinner," said Hermione, with a grin. "Seven o'clock, right."

"I said, I'm going to be out by five, and home by six, latest," said Hermione's Mum firmly.

"Right.  Home by seven," repeated Hermione, still grinning.

"Ok, you're probably right," said Hermione's Mum with a sigh. "At least one more person will call in with a toothache, and I can't make them go through Christmas Day in pain, can I?"

"Of course not, Mum.  I understand," said Hermione.  "We'll be fine.  We have a lot of work to do.  We might walk over to the library. They're having a Christmas program and I want to show Ron and Harry some of the Muggle books anyway."

"More books," said Ron with a pained expression, and Harry laughed.

"I don't know how this compares with your Christmas celebrations," said Hermione's Mum, "but I hope you are enjoying yourself." 

"It's great," said Ron with a grin.  "No de-gnoming." 

Hermione giggled and Ron put his arm around her.

A strange bump upstairs made them all look up.  "That's a portkey," said Hermione uncomfortably.

"In your bedroom?" said Hermione's Mum, looking disapproving.

"No. The guest room.  I had it set for the kitchen and then I thought: What if we had Muggle guests over for the holidays?  Even grandma and grandpa would be nervous if someone just popped into their midst."

"Ok, I guess that's alright then," said Hermione's Mum. "Well, shouldn't you go see who it is?" 

Hermione nodded and sprinted up the stairs followed by Ron and Harry.

Fred and George were standing in the hallway examining one of the Muggle pictures.  "She looks a lot like you," Fred observed as Hermione came into the corridor.

"Great Grandma Granger," said Hermione.

"We weren't sure if we should come down," said George, "or just wait for you to come up. Are your parents home?"

"Yeah, Mum is. It's alright for me to have visitors though," said Hermione.  "Come on downstairs."

"What happened at Hogwarts?" demanded Ron.

"That's just it," said Fred with a frown.  "We searched everywhere."

"And he means everywhere," said George.  "We even went in the really grungy secret passages that she hates.  She's not there."

"Could you check the Map, Harry?" asked Fred.

"Sure," said Harry getting it and handing it to George, who shrugged and blushed as he ran his hand over the Map and then touched it sharply with a forefinger. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," he said, opening the Map.

Ginny was no where to be seen.

"But the clock still says she's there, so that leaves two possibilities.  Either she's in one of the warded Slytherin areas that don't show on the map, or—"

"She's in the Chamber of Secrets," finished Harry.  "I'll go look—"

"I'm coming," said Ron, reaching for the portkey.

"Wait.  Wait.  Wait," said Hermione. "We can't just leave.  We have to give my Mum some excuse.  Come downstairs with me.  We'll tell her—um—what should we tell her?"

"There's been word on the whereabouts of our sister.  We'll be back as soon as we find out something," said Fred.

Hermione nodded, and with her Mum sending her good wishes for Ginny's safe return, they reached for the portkey.  "Um—if it's late,' said Hermione, "we may just wait until tomorrow to return.  Sorry about dinner."

"Ok," said Hermione's Mum hesitantly, but Hermione didn't wait for further questions, she grasped the portkey and said, _Fizzing Wizzbies,_ the twins' activation word.

++

The twins, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione, appeared in the twins' dorm room.  

"We didn't want to make this to anywhere common," said Fred, "after all, we aren't supposed to be here."

"That's correct, Mr. Weasley," said a cold familiar voice. "You are not supposed to be here."

They all whirled around to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway of their room with his wand drawn, glaring at them.

"Professor," said Hermione.

"You can't—This is Gryffindor!" said Ron.  

"Our room," sputtered Fred.

"This is an invasion of privacy," snapped George indignant.

"This is also a school," said Snape, pocketing his wand.  "A school which is currently closed.  A school whose Anti-Apparition wards are down.  An unauthorized portkey coming into and out of the school, not once, but twice—you should have realized it would be investigated.  I would have thought better of you, Miss Granger.  I can understand you boys are worried about your sister, but you'll have to restrain your Gryffindor urges. You cannot rescue her."

"Yes, we can!" snapped Ron.

"Ten points," began Snape, but Fred interrupted him. 

"You can't take points. School isn't in session."

Snape glared at him, and said flatly, "Your sister has a Dark Mark.  He can call her back at any time. She is his."

"No," said George sinking onto his bed. "She doesn't."

"She can't," echoed Fred.

Ron scowled at Snape and Hermione reached out to catch his hand.  Hearing what they all feared confirmed was more than any of them could handle.

With every word that Snape spoke, the Weasley boys seemed to sink further within themselves.  

"Don't interfere," Snape continued. "You will only make it more difficult for her.  I suggest you go back to your family and enjoy your holiday as best you can."

"Easy for you to say!" snapped Ron.  "My family is torn apart.  I can't even go home without seeing her face in every one of my brothers."

"Be thankful you have a brother," said Snape coldly, glancing at the twins. "Several brothers in fact." Something in his tone brooked no argument from the Weasleys.    

"Where are you going, Potter?" he snapped, looking at the boy who was nervously bouncing from one foot to the other, and backing away.

"Um—bathroom?" said Harry, rather uncertainly, trying desperately _not_ to think of the dream he had the night before.

Snape sighed and waved him into the bathroom that was adjacent to the boys' bedroom.

Once inside, Harry locked and warded the door with the most complicated ward he knew.  Then he examined the sinks.  He supposed it was too much to ask to have this bathroom be an entrance to the Chamber too.  It wasn't.  Well, there was no help for it.  He knew Snape would be on him in a minute, but hopefully he would already be out of reach by the time Snape figured it out.  He was just thankful the Anti-Apparition wards were still down.

Harry raised his wand and Apparated to Myrtle's bathroom.

Myrtle screeched at him.  "You're a boy!  You can't just Apparate into a girl's bathroom—Oh, it's you, Harry."

"I need your help, Myrtle," said Harry.  "I'm going to be followed.  Can you keep someone from Apparating into your bathroom?"

"I can make them wish they didn't," said Myrtle with a sly smile.

"Would you do that for me?"

"What will you give me?" asked Myrtle, pouting.

"What do you want?"

"Well—"

"Hurry up, Myrtle.  Snape will be here as soon as he gets through my ward," snapped Harry.

"You don't have to be so mean," said Myrtle, blushing.  Her voice dropped to a whisper.  "A kiss," she said.

Harry sputtered, a little surprised, and a lot disgusted.  "Can you _do_ that?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, blushing silver.

_How did he get himself into these things?_  He should have just dove for the Chamber and worried about the consequences later. He thought about doing just that and hissed "{Open}" to the sink.  It slowly began to sink out of sight opening the Chamber of Secrets.  At the same time, the light of an Apparition appeared in the corner of the bathroom.

"Hurry.  Hurry.   Hurry," muttered Harry, looking at the sink.

Harry threw himself down on his belly, trying to wriggle into the opening before it was completely open.  He slipped in and hissed "{Close}" before Snape could follow.  

Behind him he heard the shriek of an irate ghost and Snape's spell.  He hoped Myrtle was alright.  For all that he didn't want to kiss her; he didn't want Snape to hex her.  Could a ghost be hexed? He wondered as he slid into the Chamber, and hissed "{Open}" again to the Chamber's twin stone basilisk guardians.

"{Is the other speaker here?}" he asked immediately.

"{No,}" said the stone basilisks in unison.

"{She isn't?}"

"Har-rey?" came a singsong voice behind him.  He turned.  _Myrtle._  His heart sank.  _Well, a deal was a deal._

She flew rather close to him and settled down near the threshold to the Chamber.  "I can't actually go in there."  Her form rippled which Harry assumed was a ghost's form of a shiver.  "Nasty things in there."

"Well, um—" said Harry, not exactly sure how to proceed.  It crossed his mind that he could just duck into the Chamber and be rid of her, but of course, she would just be there when he came out.

"I've never been kissed," admitted Myrtle with a silvery blush.  "I was almost—Tom said to close my eyes, but I just wanted a little peek at him—He was so handsome—just like you—and then I died."

"Tom Riddle?" said Harry, the memory of Voldemort in his dream appeared unbidden, and Harry took a deep breath, wondering once again if Myrtle's death was an accident or a murder.

"I thought Olive Hornby was teasing you," said Harry.

"Oh, she was.  She was teasing me about Tom Riddle.  She said I could never get a fellow like him.  That he didn't know I existed, but he did.  Of course, I think you're much handsomer," she said with another silver blush.

"After we're done—um—kissing—" asked Harry.  "Do you think you could do me another favor? Help my friends—"

"You haven't even kissed me for the first favor," said Myrtle stomping her foot.

"I will," said Harry.

"Now," said Myrtle petulantly.

"Okay," said Harry licking his lips.  _Should you lick your lips before you kiss a ghost _he wondered, but there were other questions.  _Where did you put your hands, when they slipped right through the girl?_

She leaned in and he felt a brush of cold against his face—his lips and he attempted to participate, feeling the icy touch like a tasteless icepop in his mouth, and a shivering feeling like magic over his skin and then it was over.  

"Oh, that was wonderful!" said Myrtle.  "Do you think we could do it again sometime?"

"I don't know," said Harry, a little dazed by the cold.

Myrtle floated happily up through the ceiling, and Harry turned back to the stone basilisks. "{Where is the other speaker?}" he asked after a moment.

"{We do not know,}" the basilisks said in unison. 

But Harry heard a sound in the Chamber ahead of him. He pulled out his wand.  "Point me," he said, concentrating on the sound that he had heard.  It had to be Ginny. He began to search.

Ginny wasn't in the Chamber of Secrets.  Harry listened to the murmured parseltongue for several seconds until he realized without a doubt what he was listening to.  It was a basilisk.  

He gripped his wand a little tighter. Voldemort apparently took some of them and left some of them in the Chamber, perhaps as a safety catch, to breed later.  Harry shivered, and stepped cautiously forward.  Even though this basilisk was very young, it was still a threat to everything good and light.  It was, after all, a basilisk.

"{Hungry,}" hissed the basilisk. "{SSSo hungry. Where is hisssuss?}"

_There was very little hisssuss in the Chamber_, thought Harry. Perhaps Dumbledore had spelled it to get rid of the rats after second year.  Harry didn't know.  But he did know there were few rodents for food available, and the Chamber was uncommonly clean.

The tiny head lifted from behind a stone, its tongue tasting the air delicately.  "{Who comesss?}" it asked. "{Hisssuss?}"

Harry hesitated, looking at the iridescent colors on its head.  The translucent eyelids were closed over its dangerous eyes, but it seemed to know he was there.

"{Not massster.}" The thing flicked it tongue in a decidedly petulant mood.  "{Massster left Shesha.  Mussst ssstay in warm sssand,}" it said. "{All thingsss necessssary are here.  No. Not here. Lonely. Gone bitemates.  Gone hisssus.  Hungry. No hisssus.}"

Harry gritted his teeth and pointed his wand.  Its name was Shesha.  It was a basilisk.  No matter that it was little now.  It would grow into a monster like the one that had killed Mrytle and petrified so many students in second year.  It was just like the one he killed in second year.  It had to die.

**_"Avada Kadavra!"_**  He shouted, as if shouting the words would make them truer.

The serpent twitched with the impact of the spell, and turned its head toward Harry.

"{Sheiss!}" it said weakly, and crumpled to the ground.

Panting, Harry rushed to it, uncertain of what he wanted to do. His head reeled with the idea that the basilisk had called him _Sheiss, a predator, a killer, something he had never seen within himself.   _

"{Are you alright?}" he hissed anxiously in parseltongue.  It didn't move. "{Shesha?  Are you alright?}" Harry asked again.  He reached out and touched the cool scales and sensed life there. It was still alive. He couldn't even kill a snake.

_Just great_, he said to himself.  _Dumbledore tells me I have to kill Voldemort or he will kill me and I don't even have a strong enough intent to kill a snake—a baby snake at that!_

It twitched again painfully, and Harry knelt beside it, wand raised.  He should kill it.  It needed to die. He was at point blank range.  He couldn't miss.  He licked his lips. He could try again—a stronger intent.  He could do it right now.  Now, he told himself.  For a moment, he let his wand drop to his side, and then he raised it again with resolve.  

**_"Medico,"_** he said softly.  

The serpent raised its head and bit him, viciously sinking its needle like fangs into his wand arm, and pumping an impossible amount of venom into him.  Immediately, the burning cascade of venom swelled his arm to twice its size.  He felt as if his arm would explode with the pressure, and then his arm seized up painfully, causing him to drop his wand.  He closed his eyes against the tears, and the dizziness, thinking he should have killed it while he had the chance.

With a soft sound, he fell onto the Chamber floor and was still.  

++

Ginny never did fall asleep.  Perhaps she should have taken Snape's suggestion that she drink a potion, but she really felt like she needed to be awake and aware of what was happening these next few hours.  Visha stirred uneasily, "{Hisssusss?}"

"{You are not hungry,}" said Ginny.  "{I fed you yesterday.  Snakes don't need to eat everyday.}"

"{I like to,}" said Visha petulantly, but Ginny didn't answer it.

"{I'm not a snake,}" commented Visha haughtily.

Ginny sighed; it wasn't like she was sleeping anyway. And who knew when He would let her come back to Hogwarts?  She settled Visha on her pillow and did a warming charm.  "{I guess I will to try to find you something to eat,}" she told the basilisk in parseltongue.  "{You must stay here.  I will be back soon.}"

All of her plans to save Tom from Salazar seemed to have gone awry.  "How can I reach the part of Him that is you?" Ginny asked Tom as they entered the corridor.

"Ginny Love," said Tom.  "I really don't think you can.  At least not directly, and not without His knowing that I still exist."

"Maybe He wouldn't be so angry to know you exist—"

_"Pfaw!  He'd kill you so fast—no, let me amend that.  He'd kill you slow—Very—Slow.  This is one secret He can never find out.  I warned you before—"_

"I know you did, Tom. It's just.  Well.  He scares me."

"He scares me too," commented Tom.  "Hell, He even scares Snape.  Sorry."

Ginny smiled.  She had never quite got used to Tom apologizing for swearing in his thoughts.  His 1940's manners always sharply brought back the generation differences between them.  It was just one more indication that what she had hoped to do was completely hopeless.

"You probably should relieve Snape's fears," said Tom.  "It's obvious that he will figure out I'm here. He's a smart man. He knew about the diary, didn't he?"

"I don't know," Ginny said softly.

"Dumbledore would have had to tell him," said Tom. "Snape couldn't have worked so closely with Salazar without that critical information, and now, you have critical information.  If you are silent, Salazar will flush him out with innuendo and suggestion because Snape will doubt his safety.  You have to tell him that he is safe—that you didn't reveal his spying activities to Salazar, unless, of course, you just want Salazar to kill him for us."

Ginny sputtered.  "What?"

"Well, his name was mentioned in the list of cult members.  Of course, he is useful at the moment, so I think he should be one of the last to die."

"Tom, I told you before.  I am not going to kill anyone."  _How could he do that? Thought Ginny—be _polite_ one minute and then the next be contemplating murder?_

"Have you forgotten what they did to me?" spat Tom. "These are your memories now too."  The thoughts of the horrors of the orphanage flashed in front of her:  abuse, both physical and mental, the hours alone in the coal cellar, the fires, the lying, the times they called him demon child.  The list went on and on, and she remembered it all as if it were hers.  She could almost handle it, until Tom got to what they did to his mother.

"Stop," Ginny said covering her eyes as if that could make the memories go away.  They didn't.

_The images continued: manipulation of the Muggles by his wizarding family, the betrayal of his friends and lover.  The bitterness was still there, hidden deep within him, but there nonetheless_.

"I can't think about that right now, Tom," said Ginny. The cold, methodical logic with which Tom thought about killing the cult members unnerved her.  Being in her head gave the thoughts an intimacy that she didn't want to admit to, and yet the thoughts also had the same impersonal yet familiar feel as a listing of potion ingredients to be used up. 

"Why wouldn't I be logical, Ginny Love?  Anything less would get us caught."

"Please."

"Very well," agreed Tom reluctantly.  "I've waited this long.  I can wait a little longer.  In which case, you need to tell Snape that you did not betray him to Salazar."

Ginny hesitated, shaken by the barrage of memories. "But, how do you know for sure that I didn't betray him?" asked Ginny, as she peered out into the empty corridor.  

"Because you inherited my Occlumency wards, just like you inherited my parseltongue.  

"But you're not sure—" began Ginny.

"Yes, I am.  It's the only explanation as to why we are still alive.   He should have found out about my existence when you took the Dark Mark.

"You said that the real you, in Salazar's head, might have realized we were together and helped us.  

"It seemed possible at the time, but having Occlumency wards also explains a great deal about St. Mungo's and why the memory wards had to be so strong.  We can use this against Salazar."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think you are strong enough to use the Legilimency, at least not without serious practice, but the wards are a natural gift, not a talent.  That means they are equal to what Salazar has.  It probably has him confused as—"

"But Salazar was an Occlumens and Legilimens too," commented Ginny.  "Wouldn't that mean his powers, combined with yours, Tom,  are twice as strong?"

"No," said Tom.  "He—I would not share magic with Salazar.  What Salazar has is only what he brought from the Chamber and what he has stolen from—Tom Riddle.  I don't know the full extent of his powers and I don't want to test ours against his, but I would say you're pretty safe, especially if he doesn't want to hurt you, and he won't if he thinks you are the prophecy child."

"But I'm not," said Ginny.

"So—?" 

Ginny's heart did a little flip-flop. The implications of what Tom was suggesting was staggering. He wanted her to outright lie to and deceive a known Occlumens and Legilimens—deceive the Dark Lord.  "That seems pretty risky," muttered Ginny.  

"Risky!"  shouted Tom in her head.  "Going to him was risky, you stupid Gryffindor.  You're in now.  You can't turn back.  Sometimes I think you have the brain of a flubberworm.  
  


Ginny seethed.  "If you're going to insult me—"

_"OK, OK, don't get sore at me.  It was just a thought—"_

Ginny had reached the door to Snape's office.  It was locked and warded.  Uncertain of what to do, she wandered down the corridor, pausing at the third door, the opening to the haunted room.  Curiously, she laid her hand on the knob, but she hesitated.

"Do you know who this ghost is?" she asked Tom.

_"No, this room wasn't haunted when I was here," said Tom with certainty.  "It was Carman's room."_

"So you were in the girls' dorm?" she asked with a smirk.

"Occasionally," said Tom with an equal measure of smugness. "But not much after I showed her the Chamber."  Memories that Ginny wasn't sure she wanted to see, inundated her. 

She stepped back and attempted to shut them out.

_"Don't ask if you don't want to know," Tom said with mirth._

Then all laughter died from her mind.  The face of the ghost girl was pushed into the oak door as the ghost peered out at them from behind some kinds of wards that wouldn't allow her to come completely through the door.  Her hooded eyes were dark and angry even in the ashen mist that was her face.  It would have been a pretty face if the anger didn't mar it.  Smoky wisps of blonde hair escaped the door.  "Come in," she invited softly. After a while, she added, "I was going to be an Auror, you know."

"Really?" said Ginny, trying to hear the whispering that was coming from all around the ghost.  The sound was elusive as mist, and repeated like the round of a song, overlapping with the previous words so that deciphering them was difficult.  The voice whispered so softly it was almost out of her hearing.  Ginny finally put the words together.  "Die Death Eater— Die Death Eater— Die Death Eater—"

"Come in," the ghost invited again, smiling at Ginny.

"No," said Ginny, backing up quickly.  "No thank you!"  The ghost's high-pitched laughter followed her through the corridor as she sprinted back toward the room she had chosen, but just then she heard the banging of the outside door of Slytherin house.  A second door slammed, and Ginny wondered if it was possible to make the stones of the dungeon shake.

Snape turned the corner, muttering about stupid idiotic Gryffindors, cape billowing, he came to a sudden halt as he recognized Ginny.

"Miss Weasley?" he said.

"Were you speaking about me?" Ginny asked softly.

"No, your brothers," said Snape hotly. "And _Potter."_

"They were here?"  Ginny asked, her knees suddenly growing weak.  

Snape grasped her elbow and dragged her several steps forward to his office.  The black dog was still sound asleep in the corner as it was earlier today.  Ginny wondered if Snape had just left it there, spelled to sleep all day.

"I knew I should have given you a potion," he snapped, pulling her into his office. "You didn't sleep at all, did you?"

"No," she said.  "My brothers were looking for _me_, weren't they?"

"Yes, and you can't see them," said Snape, sitting at his desk and motioning her to a chair, the same one she had sat in earlier.  She shifted uncomfortably on it.

 "Apparently, they have an enchanted clock that tells your whereabouts," Snape continued.  "I sent them packing."

"Oh," said Ginny softly.

"Well, except for Potter, the little twit; I can't believe he managed to evade me. It's been ages since a _Slytherin_ did that."

"You don't know where he is?" asked Ginny incredulous.

"Oh, I know where he is," sneered Snape. "I just can't get in.  I warded the exits though, so I'll catch him when he comes out."

"The Chamber of Secrets," breathed Ginny.

Snape looked at her curiously.  "Miss Weasley," he asked.  "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Not yet," she said getting to her feet.

"No," snapped Tom, in her head.  "We are not going to the Chamber of Secrets."

"Yes. We are," thought Ginny.

_"No."_

"Last I checked I still had control of my feet," Ginny told Tom.

"Miss Weasley," said Snape.  "I can't allow you to go looking for Harry Potter.  First of all, Headmaster Dumbledore will be here shortly, and secondly, I know you want to go home," he sighed, "but you can't."

"But why?" asked Ginny agonized.

Snape, still sitting calmly at his desk, steepled his fingers in front of his face and asked, "Where did He tell you to go?"

"Hogwarts," she said.

"Why?" Snape persisted.

"I don't know—I can't get the emerald."

"He told you to get an emerald which He knows you cannot get. Why do you suppose he did that?"

"I don't know.  Maybe he made a mistake--"

"There was no mistake," said Snape.  "It's about loyalty."

"I don't understand," said Ginny.

"I do," said Tom. "I should have thought of this before, Ginny Love.  Of course he was testing your loyalty.  He has something in mind for you to do, but if you leave Hogwarts, you will never have another moment of freedom until he is done with you. He'll keep you in chains, physical and mental."

"He's testing my loyalty?" whispered Ginny.

"Yes," said Snape. "Giving you the illusion of freedom to see what you will do with it, and, no doubt, he wanted you out of the way for His Christmas Surprise."

"Christmas!" cried Ginny.  "Oh gosh, I can't believe I forgot.  He's going to kill hundreds of Muggles Professor!  We have to tell Dumbledore."

"Probably thousands," said Snape.

"You know," said Ginny.  "You're going to help them!"

Snape shook his head.  "No. I am not."

"But you're not evil.  I know you're not. How could you—"  
  


Snape said nothing, and it slowly dawned on Ginny that Snape really was not going to help the Muggles.  He was going to let them all die.  A sinking feeling invaded her heart like her blood turning to ice.   "You can't," she whispered.  "You can't let them all die."

"Miss Weasley, if the Order of Phoenix were to amass to protect all these Muggles, which incidentally is an enormous task, what would Voldemort think happened?"

"He would think he was betrayed—by you." 

"Or you," said Snape.

"I don't care," snapped Ginny, her eyes narrowing at Snape's cowardice.

"Calm down, Ginny Love," said Tom.

"I believe you need to temper your ardor," commented Snape dryly. "You've had a long and trying day.  You should rest."

"I'm not tired," Ginny said stubbornly.  "Some of us have difficulty sleeping knowing that thousands of people are going to die tomorrow night, especially if we can do something to stop it."

"You can do nothing," snapped Snape.  He frowned at Ginny for a moment and then seemed to reconsider his approach. "According to Beatrice's owl, the strike is extremely widespread," said Snape.  "We, at the Order, have already discussed what is the best course to take. There is some weather moving in—rain.  It is relatively mild weather magic to drop the temperatures and freeze the rain. Half dozen wizards who can control the Elementals can move with the front, freezing the leading edge of the storm.  

"It doesn't look like we did anything and we can hope the inclement weather will keep many of the Muggles home. That is the best we can do. We can only protect so many places at once.  Besides, Dumbledore is worried that this is a diversion to cover up another strike at the wizarding world. We have to make priorities."

"Where do you think He will hit the wizarding world?"

"We don't know," said Snape. "There are several possibilities."

"All those Muggles," whispered Ginny.  "I can't believe Dumbledore is just letting them die—"

Snape stood in one fluid motion, went to his cupboard and pulled out his pensieve.  "I want to show you something," he said, touching the liquid with his wand.  In it was an aerial view; someone was flying on a broomstick, high above the craggy snow covered forest. 

"This was Durmstrang," said Snape as the castle came into view.  The picture changed to a warm coastline.  "And this was Beauxbatons," he continued.  Again the picture changed to gray stone and she recognized the island of Azkaban.  Finally it lit with the icy peaks of the Snow Castle.  "Now," Snape said, pulling his wand from the pensieve and drawing a rough map with his wand in the air.  "If I mark the points—"

"Four points," said Ginny.  "Is it his protection?" 

"Partly," said Snape. "But we believe he's moving to take a fifth, making a pentagram or perhaps he will reorient the points if he tries for a sixth."

"Where?" asked Ginny.

"Hogwarts and the Ministry building," said Snape.  "We believe his influence reaches as far east as Russia and as far west as America, and we know virtually nothing about either of those places.  Although his influence is presently concentrated here in Europe, he is bigger than any of us thought. Some of this was planted before his downfall, fourteen years ago and has continued to grow without his active support." 

Ginny stared in horror at the glowing sections of the map that Snape had drawn.  It looked like the Dark Magic had invaded the entire world, fanning out in all directions. 

Snape took a deep breath. "I cannot change what I have to do in order to save a thousand Muggles, just like you cannot go home right now. You have a task that Fate has given you."

"But  I'm just one person—" Ginny interrupted.  "How much can it matter?"

Snape held up his hand, stopping her speech.  "Fourteen years ago, the Order had a plan—a three part plan, three members of the Order to protect a woman, a child and a potion.  A three part plan carried out for nearly a year, the woman, the child and the potion, **never** in the same place at the same time. 

"But because the mother—an Auror, felt the need to be with her child, she broke protocol, risking her life, the life of her child and the whole wizarding world.  She and her arrogant husband thought they were invincible.  They thought the Fidelius Charm would be enough to protect them. It wasn't and because of that—incident—the spell nearly a year of work was forfeit.  The spell was incomplete when Voldemort arrived. Salazar was supposed to be killed." Snape finished viciously.

Then Snape hesitated, as if uncertain whether or not he should continue.  

"Harry," muttered Ginny, feeling as all of the air had just gone from her lungs.  "This is about Harry Potter."

"Isn't it always about Potter," sneered Snape.

"But what about the Order member protecting Harry?  Why would he give the baby to Lily when he knew it would endanger them?"

Snape made a strangled sound. "Perhaps she cried all over his robes, and told him she needed to be near her family," said Snape, staring fixedly at the wall. "Perhaps he was stupid and weak, and did what was easy instead of what was right." Snape turned to face her, his dark eyes intense.

Ginny stared at him.  

"Why are you telling me this?" Ginny asked.  "Why hasn't Professor Dumbledore told Harry?  This doesn't have anything to do with me." 

"I cannot answer for Professor Dumbledore's actions," said Snape shortly.  "He doesn't want Harry to know the details, but _you_ are in a precarious position, Miss Weasley.  Knowing these details gives you an edge.  

"Keep it from Voldemort as long as you can, but when you are threatened, you can let him know that the Order had a potion to allow the power transfer to work. It's an important potion.  He will let you live because of it."

"It's a potion?  But if he thinks it's a potion—"  

"Let's get back to your problem," Snape interrupted. "The question really is why he could not _see_ whether or not you were loyal.  You said he searched you with his Legilimency."

"Yes, but there is something you should know," said Ginny, sitting back on the chair and gathering her courage. She said evenly, "I have the same Occlumency wards as he has--exactly the same."

A puzzled look crossed Snape's face, but he didn't look as surprised as she thought he would.  The puzzled look dissolved as she revealed the whole story of first year.  She told him about the diary and would have revealed that Tom spoke to her in her head now, but Tom stopped her.

"Let's not give him too many details, Ginny Love."

Finally she admitted why she had gone to the Dark Lord in the first place. 

Her voice dropped to barely a whisper.  "I wanted to save him—to save Tom—I—"  Her voice faltered, and dwindled to nothing, but her thoughts did not. "I—I love him."

_Such tenderness washed over her from Tom's thoughts that she caught her breath.  "Oh Ginny Love—"_

"Tom Riddle cannot be saved," Snape said bluntly.  

Ginny stood mutely shaking her head.

"I believe, Tom Riddle exists _only as a memory," said Snape his black eyes boring into hers, willing her to sacrifice Tom._

"I can't do this," muttered Ginny in a panic.

"Yes you can, Miss Weasley," said Snape, grasping her by her shoulders and turning her face to meet his. "You must strengthen your resolve, Miss Weasley, or you will die. Will you truly do what you must?  Or bend to His Will and become a Death Eater in fact, as well as name?  Make the decision now and never doubt it.  

"He's testing your loyalty, Miss Weasley.  If you pass his test, you will be a tremendous asset to the Light. If you don't, you will be dead and the Muggles you died to save will still die. You have a chance to do great things for the wizarding world, but there will be personal sacrifices. Never forget there is _always a cost."_

"He's not telling you the whole story," said Tom. "He's hiding something. Something significant.

"This time," Snape continued, "we aren't going to damage the magic of the monster. We are going to _destroy_ it, whatever the cost."

++

When Harry awoke, he ached all over.  He tried to move his arm, to grasp his wand but it was too much effort.  The last time he hurt this much was when Samara's book bit him.  Carefully he came to a sitting position and opened and closed his hand, forcing the fingers around his wand. He wondered how long he had lay unconscious on the floor.  It was hard to tell the passage of time in the Chamber. He shifted uncomfortably.

The little basilisk was wrapped around his good arm and facing him with its flickering tongue.

"{Massster awakesss,}" it said.

Harry startled.  "{I'm not your Master,}" replied Harry in parseltongue.

"{Yessss.  Massster hass much magic.  Massster hass much venom.}"

"{I feel like I've been run over by a herd of rampaging Hippogriffs,}" hissed Harry.

"{Ssssorry.  Isss good magic, shared. Better than Sissahauss-A-Sissahauss. Now Masster take Shesha to bitematessss.}"

"{Bitemates?  I don't understand.}"

"{Others of her kind—hive—pack—pride—}" the little basilisk continued to describe.

Harry choked.  He couldn't imagine the basilisk describing its relation to its littermates like a pride, a typically lion group.  "{I don't think so,}" said Harry, thinking of Voldemort.  "{Anyway, don't you eat your–littermates—um—bitemates.}"

"{Only before eating the toad.  Very hungry before toad.  Thinking sissshauss. Eat and make them part of my power.  Only sisshauss.}"

"{I see, so if you eat the toad first you no longer want to bite your siblings.}"

"{Oh, no.  Biting shares self.}"

"{Ah-Then you no longer want to eat, destroy, Sissshauss your siblings.}"

"{Master is correct.  Now, Master gives Shesha hisssus.}"

"{I don't have any hisssus,}" hissed Harry.

"{Hisssus,}" insisted the little basilisk, "{hisssus now. Shesha hungry. Sissshauss.}"

"{I'll see what I can do,}" said Harry. After several false starts, he climbed laboriously to his feet and placed his wand on his swollen hand.  "Point me," he said, thinking of the exit between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.  He dreaded the climb to Gryffindor Tower, but doubted that he could Apparate there in his exhausted state. _How on earth was he going to explain Shesha to Ron and Hermione?_  

"{Master is sssad,}" said the basilisk.

"{Not sad,}" said Harry. "{Worried about the other speaker.  I thought she would be here in the Chamber.}" Harry was thinking about Ginny and then his thoughts wandered to Beatrice and then Samara, covered with Voldemort's basilisks. "{And the speaker who holds your bitemates,}" said Harry.  He decided it was prudent to say nothing to the hungry basilisk about Beatrice.

"{Yesss,}" replied the basilisk. "{Three speakers.  They are worried too.}"

Harry stopped suddenly. "{They are worried?  The speakers or the basilisks are worried?  You know this?}" Harry hissed anxiously.

"{Worried,}" repeated the basilisk.  "{No ssheiss, but much magic. Perhaps death.}"

"{Is Samara still near death?}"  Harry asked, knowing as soon as he asked, this conversation would yield no information. Even if the basilisk sensed something from its litter mates, it wouldn't understand Harry's concept of time, so he would have no idea if what it told him was in the past or present.

"{Death,}" intoned the small serpent. "{Smells death.}" And then abruptly, the snake was back to its present concern.  "{Needsss hisssuss.}"

Harry climbed out of the Chamber to be met by Myrtle in the corridor that connected the Chamber with the bathroom.

"Hello Harry," she said in her singsong voice.

"You're out of your bathroom," said Harry.

"They're all gone," she said softly. "But the Weasley twins left a portkey in your room.  They were marvelous, working their way around Minnie.  I don't think a Slytherin could have done better," she beamed.

"Minnie?" asked Harry.

"Oh, Minerva McGonagall," said Myrtle. "But, of course, they didn't even say thank you for my help. She sent them home and Snape set a ward for you in the bathroom. 

"Where's Dumbledore?" he asked.

"I don't know everything," said Myrtle. "But you might want to use the entrance in the kitchen, if you want to avoid Severus Snape.."

"I do. Thanks Myrtle."  Harry grinned at her.

"That's not much of a thanks," Myrtle pouted, as he reversed track and headed for the kitchen. 

"Oh, I'm really grateful," repeated Harry, "but I have to hurry.  Maybe I can get a snack," He muttered more to himself than to Myrtle.

"{Hisssus,}" said the basilisk.

Myrtle stared wide-eyed at the little serpent on Harry's wrist. "What are you doing with that thing?!" she screeched.  

"Well, I thought first I'd get us both something to eat," said Harry.

Myrtle shot up through the ceiling, leaving him alone with his basilisk.

++

Harry left the kitchen laden with food from the house elves. They even managed to find a live mouse for his snake. Although he missed his invisibility cloak, and had several close shaves with Peeves, he did make it back to Gryffindor Tower. When he got back to his room, it took him a while to find the portkey.  Finally he saw it—the unmistakable shape of a Canary Cream.  

He touched it, and rather than waiting for an activation word, the portkey immediately activated.  He felt the familiar tug behind his navel and he was spiraling forward to some unknown destination.  When the movement stopped he was in Hermione's kitchen and Sirius was sitting between Ron and Hermione.

"Well, it's about time, Harry," said Sirius irritably.

"Me?" returned Harry.  "You were supposed to be here two days ago."

"Sh-h-h!  Don't argue," said Hermione.

"Sorry," muttered Harry, looking around. "Where's your Mum and Dad?"

"Dental Association Christmas Party," said Hermione.  "They weren't going to go."  Hermione blushed and looked at Ron. "But Sirius showed up and said he'd stick around and chaperone."

"So, what took you so long Harry?" persisted Sirius.

 "I couldn't find Ginny in the Chamber.  It—um, just took me a while."  He shifted uncomfortably, trying to push the basilisk further up his arm under his robe.  No one seemed to notice and the basilisk, sated with food and the warmth from his arm, was sound asleep.  He would, of course, have to tell Ron and Hermione about the basilisk, but he wasn't sure he wanted to tell Sirius.  

"I'm sorry too," said Sirius.  "I couldn't get away from the Order though. I was just telling Ron and Hermione about Fudge's latest trick.  He wants all dangerous creatures to undergo a census.  They have to list all their powers and be checked out and documented by medi-wizards.  There are rumors that any that are deemed too dangerous will be relocated to holding camps, but Fudge denies it."

"I wouldn't believe a word that man says," snapped Ron.

"Professor Lupin," said Harry.

"Yes," answered Sirius, "and Hagrid too.  Fudge even wants to screen the merpeople in the Lake to see if any of them have siren blood, but mostly that only occurs in oceangoing merpeople, not freshwater. Dumbledore told him he was being ridiculous, but Fudge wasn't inclined to listen."

"What about getting the girls back?" asked Harry.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "That, Harry, is a mighty difficult task. We had a plan.  Actually, I was a big part of it, being an unregistered animagus, but I think we have to scrap it."

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Snape bought a Labrador mix—a real dog.  It's a big ugly mutt.  I told him it looks nothing like me."

"The plan," Hermione urged.  

"Well, Snape took it with him twice now to Voldemort.  He was going to take me the next time, along with some pain killers and a Living Death Potion for the child. We were going to stage a little dog catching a rabbit scene and then Snape could bring us both home." Sirius stopped and hung his head, a small sound caught in his throat that sounded much like a dog's whine. 

"But Voldemort found the little girl who is a rabbit Animagus," Sirius said sadly.  "She sent us an owl.  We don't know if that was when she was captured or not, but she was _Crucioed_ in her Animagus form."  Sirius slapped the table with his open palm.  "Why she didn't just transform—" Sirius shook his head sadly.

"Sirius?  What does that mean?" asked Hermione. "Professor McGonagall said any spell done on an Animagus is dangerous—"

Sirius shook his head. "Cruciatus is different," he said.  "You should know Harry, that in _Crucio, the wizard thinks he is dying.  If the wizard thinks he is dying, certainly the Animagus brain will think it is dying.  The wizard loses control and the link between the two is shattered.  _

"When it is over, the wizard remains—not an Animagus—something less than an Animagus.  Every Animagi knows he is a wizard even when he is in animal form.  Cruciatus destroys that awareness.  Medi-wizards believe that the wizard can't get back to human form because the wizard thinks he has died."

"Poor Beatrice," said Hermione.  "Have they told her Mum?"

"I don't know," said Sirius.

"Well, we have to get the others out before something bad happens to them too," said Ron.

Sirius shook his head.  "We need someone on the inside to help us, and it can't be Snape.  His cover is already worn thin."

Hermione glanced at Harry, raising her eyebrows.  Harry didn't need to be a legilmens to know what she was thinking.  She thought they should take Malfoy's help.  Of course, Ron was totally opposed to that.  Harry hated being the tie breaker.  He turned back to Sirius.

"What did the owl say?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I can't tell you that, Harry.  Order business," said Sirius.  "But Dumbledore is taking care of it."

"But—" said Harry.

"Yooo—Hooo," called a voice from the other room.

Harry glared at Sirius.

"Hey Mum," Hermione called back. "We're in the kitchen."

Hermione's Mum and Dad came in and kissed their daughter.  "Did you have a nice chat?" her Mum asked.

"Oh, yes," said Hermione.  "Sirius was just telling us how –um certain spells affect Animagi."

"Oh, right," said Mr. Granger, pouring himself a cup of tea and sitting at the table with the others.  "Hermione says some witches and wizards can turn into animals.  She's been working on it for quite a while now—"

"DAD!"  Hermione snapped.

"Oh. Was that a secret, dear?" he asked innocently.

"I didn't know you were trying to become an Animagus, Hermione," said Sirius.  "It's really hard to do on your own."  He rolled his eyes.  "I should know.  I could help you if you like."

"That would be very nice," Hermione said softly.  "Excuse me."  She turned and hurried up the stairs after her mother, leaving Sirius, her Dad and the boys sitting at the kitchen table.

"Women," said Hermione's Dad shaking his head.  "Who can understand them?"

"That's the same, wizard or Muggle," laughed Sirius. "Well, I should be leaving too," said Sirius. 

"Good night, then," said Hermione's Dad, shaking Sirius' hand and then pulling at the tie at his neck. "I'll leave you to say good bye to your godfather," he told Harry as he followed the women up the stairs.

Sirius hugged Harry, and Harry panicked, trying to keep the basilisk on his arm from touching him or waking.  He need not have worried.  The little serpent was apparently exceedingly tired.   

"I hope you'll come over to my place on Christmas Eve," Sirius was saying.  "I have to tell you, it's sort of a zoo. Dumbledore thought that it would be the best place for Order of the Phoenix Headquarters." Sirius pulled a piece of parchment from his robe and touched it with his wand, making the ink appear before passing it to Harry. On it read: 

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place is the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters.  _

"You can show this to Hermione and then be sure to _Incendio it. Only people who have been told the location by Dumbledore can see the place, and this was written by Dumbledore."_

Harry nodded, and Ron reached out to take the parchment.  "I'll go show this to Hermione right now and then _Incendio_ it," he said, "so we don't forget about it."

Ron turned and hurried from the room, parchment in hand.

"And this is a portkey," Sirius added, putting a broken snitch wing into his hand.  "The activation word is 'Fawkes.'  It will only work on Christmas Eve, and you will find yourself on the street outside of 12 Grummauld Place. There's no floo and you can't portkey or Apparate directly.  Otherwise I might have uninvited visitors."

"Uninvited?  Who?" asked Harry.

"My relatives," said Sirius. "Aunt Carman or even cousin Narcissa."

Harry choked. "They're related to you?" he asked in amazement. "Malfoy is related to you?"

"Yes," sighed Sirius, "well, you and I both know, you can't choose your relatives."

"But Sirius, if they're related to you, couldn't you find out where they are right now?  Isn't there some spell—"

"No," said Sirius shortly.  

"But Sirius—"

"I have to go, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow." He reached out and ruffled Harry's already messy hair.  "I love you," he said softly and Disapparated.

"Love you too," Harry quietly murmured to the empty room.

+++

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We have some fun and awesome discussions, and if fanfic is being ornery, I'll post the next chapter there.)

**Trillium:**  Oh no.  The whole point of the chapter was to make people hate Volde.  You can't admire him.  OK you can laugh about Valeriana seducing Snape.

**Reiven**:  No Draco isn't.  Re-read "The Chamber of Forever" in THE SEERS' TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING.  I liked Nagini too, and Draco is coming soon a really cool Draco meets Samara's brothers chapter which I just loved writing.  Hope you guys love it too.  

**Adaneth**:  Thanks for the review.  More Draco soon.

**Anonymous:**  Who is the real prophecy child?!  Please read THE SEERS' TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING.  I warned you, you would miss some stuff if you decided to read the sequel without the first book.

**Emma_Trelawny**: Yes, I know it was gross, disgusting, evil, sick but well, let's consider, Voldemort is the evil Dark Lord.  Valeriana waited thirteen years.  I was kinda hoping people would recognize him as EVIL instead of  "He's kinda the bad guy, but kinda cool too."

**Silverfox1**:  This was the very first time that Voldemort has said "Shut up, Tom," so I don't know if it qualifies as a favorite phrase, but I guess Volde has thought it often enough.

**Sky**:  Lots more questions brought up this chapter.  Sorry you won't get to know the answers for a while.  Keep reading.

**Jager:**  Glad you like the Tom/Salazar stuff.  Lots more Tom/Ginny coming including some in the above chapter.  Keep reading

**Ennui deMorte**:  So I made your skin crawl.  Exactly what I was aiming for—the snake and the ghoul.  Interesting that you thought it was A GOOD THING Valeriana came in or Volde would have thought up some diabolical move for Ginny or Harry and company!  Enjoy the Draco free chapter.  As you know, my dear beta, more Draco is coming.  And thank you for putting up with my tearing this chapter apart and putting in back together again and betaing above and beyond the call of duty.  Excellent!  WATCH FOR ENNUI'S FIC, COMING SOON.  

**Kemenran**: insightful as always.

**WesleyPeppers**:  Let's remember this was a Slytherin marriage.  I doubt Valeriana married Desmond because she loved him.  Of course, I don't think I'd call whatever Val and Volde have as love either.   Thanks for your faithful reviews.

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Lady Lestrange

  
  



	7. CH 7: Improbable Intentions

**THE SEERS' TRUTH:  BEYOND THE DARKNESS**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 7**

Improbable Intentions 

**15 Reviews**:  I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin.  It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear.  Love my readers and reviewers.  Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer:**  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  No money is made from this fanfic.  Thanks JK.

Thank you to Silverfox for Draco's interest in the diadem.  Winner of the "What would Draco want" contest on:  

Read Silverfox's fics.  They are excellent.  Later.  After you've read and reviewed mine.  LL

_Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte_

+++

"You think we should meet Malfoy! Are you crazy, Hermione!" shouted Ron.

"I think she has a point," said Harry.  "After all Sirius said—"

"You!  You stay out of this," said Ron.  Pointing at Harry's wrist where Shesha was contentedly flickering her tongue.  "I only _think_ Hermione's crazy.  You!  I _know_ _you're _ crazy.  Absolutely bonkers!  Coming back with that thing on your wrist."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?  Let it die?"

"Yes!"  Shouted Ron.  "One less basilisk is a good thing, Harry."

"We weren't talking about basilisks," interrupted Hermione.  We were talking about Malfoy."

"One snake's the same as the other," said Ron, throwing up his hands in frustration.

"Well technically," said Harry.  "It's not—"  but he stopped at the look Ron gave him.

"Calm down," said Hermione.  "We need to think of this logically."

"You think meeting with Malfoy is logical?" asked Ron.

Shesha stirred uncomfortable with the high emotions in the room, and Harry hissed an explanation.  "{No sheis, just excitement and tension.  We hope to find your bitemates.}"

"Will you quit that!" spat Ron, glaring at the hissing Harry.

"She just wondered what was going on.  I was filling her in," said Harry.

"It's going to take us a while to get used to you talking to it in paseltongue," said Hermione.  "I mean, we're your friends, but still—"  

She dwindled off blushing and Harry remembered all the rumors that flew about the school in second year when half of the student body thought he was the heir of Slytherin.  Ron and Hermione had stuck by him, but it was a struggle.  He hoped that they had become more open minded, but somehow he wasn't sure they had. Both Ron and Hermione had been appalled when he showed them the basilisk, and told them what had happened in the Chamber.  

Hermione started to warm up to the idea of Harry imprinting the basilisk when he told her that if he didn't, Voldemort surely would do it later, but Ron was still adamantly against Harry keeping it.  The only thing that kept Ron from trying to kill it now, was Harry's friendship with him, and Harry wasn't sure that bond would actually keep Ron from harming it.  The way Ron looked at it, this little basilisk was personally responsible for his sister's woes.  Harry was afraid most Gryffindors would feel exactly the same way. 

"So tell me again why we should take Malfoy at his word," said Ron, somewhat calmed by Hermione's presence next to him.

"Well, first of all," said Harry.  "It's what Sirius told us.  Even the Order has no idea where the Snow Castle is.  They have to rely on someone on the inside.  They are afraid to use Snape and blow his cover, so they are at a standstill until they find someone else.  This can put us ahead of them."

"Well, it's not like they are going to find someone just standing on the street corner, are they?" said Ron.

"Exactly," Hermione interrupted.  "It's going to take them some time to get in.  Meanwhile, we had a head start.  We have Malfoy _offering_ his help."

"Help," snorted Ron.  "I'll trust him when hell freezes over."

Harry, thinking of the Snow Castle, said, "It may have just done that.  And the problem is our friends and your sister are in there.  We don't have forever to think about this.  We have to take help where it's offered."

"I'll never trust Malfoy," said Ron.

"Agreed," said Harry, "But Ron."  He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.  "If Ginny does have a Dark Mark, we need to find her first.  Before the Aurors do."  

Everything implied in that sentence reflected on Ron's face.  No one needed to say, if the Aurors got there first they would have no compunction about killing Death Eaters, or at least hexing them with some pretty severe hexes.  

Harry squeezed Ron's shoulder gently.  "We'll find her—all three of them," said Harry.

"This is impossible," Ron muttered.

"No.  Not impossible," said Harry.  "Risky.  There's a difference. We can do this."

"Well, let's go, then," said Ron, steeling himself for the meeting with Malfoy.

"Oh Harry," cried Hermione. "How are we going to get to Borgin and Burkes?  We don't have a portkey, and we can't use magic."

"Your parents have a car," said Ron.

"But I can't drive it," said Hermione.  "I'm only fifteen."

They stood in silent contemplation for several minutes until Hermione said, "I guess there's no help for it.  We'll have to bring Samara's brothers.  Well, at least one of them—the one that can drive."

"What!" spat Harry.  "I am not taking Muggles to Knockturn Alley.  If—no—when one of them gets killed I'd never forgive myself."

"We'll leave them in Diagon Alley," said Hermione.  "Or maybe in Muggle London.  We'll tell them that _we can't_ take them with us. Muggles can't even see where we're going. They have to understand."

"And even if they don't," said Ron.  "How hard can it be to give them the slip?"

"Ron.  We have to get back too," noted Hermione, as she turned over Harry's portkey in her hand.  "I think they'll be glad to be involved at all.  It won't be that hard to make them understand they can't come into the Leaky Cauldron.    They can't even see it." She glanced at her watch.  "And we have to be back before six, when my parents get home from work," she said.

++

Ginny was surprised that she awoke feeling rested and refreshed.  "I didn't expect to sleep so well considering last night's conversation and the fact that I wasn't in my own bed."

"Well, Ginny Love, it is a dorm room bed, probably not that much different from what you are used to, but the fact that last night's conversation can be so easily dismissed concerns me."

"I know," said Ginny softly.  "I think we should go see Professor Snape this morning."

"An excellent idea."

"I need some things from Gryffindor Tower anyway," said Ginny slipping into her wrinkled robe from the day before, and dragging her fingers through her shoulder length hair.  I could _Accio_ a brush from my room, she thought.

"Let's see Snape first," suggested Tom, "I wish you'd let me talk to him—" 

"No," said Ginny as she pulled her hair into an untidy pony tail.  After doing a hasty glamour to  improve her disheveled appearance, she  proceeded to Snape's office. 

Before she even knocked on the door, the dog began barking furiously.  "Quiet!" snapped Snape. The barking continued.  There was a muttered curse and the sound of papers sliding to the floor amid the barking, and then Snape's voice again.  **_"Mutus!_****_  Somnus!_**Wretched beast," muttered Snape into the silence.

Snape opened the door to his office and Ginny stood on the doorstep peering in.  The dog was once again asleep in the corner.  Ginny suppressed a laugh.

Snape scowled at her.  "What do you want?" he asked shortly.  

"I don't have anything to do—"

"Well I _do_," he said testily.

"I meant, I left all my clothes and books in Gryffindor Tower.  I didn't want to go and get them without your permission."

"Quite right," said Snape.

"So may I go and get my things?"

"Yes," answered Snape, but Ginny stood on the threshold uncertainly.

"I feel like a prisoner," she whispered.

"Hardly," said Snape.

"Some of the things you told me last night—"

"Come in, Miss Weasley," Snape said opening the door and with a wave of his hand, clearing the papers which had fallen off of his immaculately neat desk.  "What is on your mind?"

"Everything—" she breathed.

"I am not good at this sort of thing," he admitted looking at the door.  "If the Headmaster were back, I'm sure he would know what to tell you."

"Just tell me the truth," Ginny said. 

"To whom am I speaking?" Snape asked bluntly.  "Virginia Weasley or Tom Riddle?"

Ginny froze, thinking she hadn't told Snape that.  

"He's just guessing," surmised Tom.

"Oh yes, Tom, that's the first thing that pops into my mind when someone is acting weird, they must be possessed."

"You are not possessed," said Tom coldly, "and you know it.  Just tell him it's only you, Ginny," said Tom.  "If he thinks I can do any magic, he won't tell you anything   He won't believe I'm on your side and not Salazar's."

"Virginia Weasley," said Ginny softly.  "Tom is—as you said, only a memory."

_"And change the subject," suggested Tom. "Ask about Salazar."_

"You knew about Salazar. You said it was Salazar that should have died," said Ginny, but it worried her that Snape guessed or figured out from Legilimency that Tom was still in some way, present with her, either that or he just thought she was crazy.

"Ginny Love, we know you don't have all your marbles.  Good thing I'm willing to share—"

"You're willing to share!" thought Ginny.

Snape blew out his breath.  "I have known that Voldemort is the combination of Tom Riddle and Salazar Slytherin since I was eleven years old.  I would imagine you know this fact more intimately than I."

"I imagine," said Ginny.

The silence stretched before them, neither moving or speaking, Ginny barely breathed.  

"Ask him if the Order had perfected the transfer of power spell," said Tom.  "Did they finish the potion?" And Ginny did ask.  

"Yes," said Snape.

"What was in it?" Tom wondered.

"What was in it?" Ginny asked.

Snape looked at her curiously.  "This conversation is over," he said curtly.  "You may get your things from Gryffindor Tower." 

"Tom," wondered Ginny. "What did that accomplish? It just shut him down."

"I know this spell," said Tom. "Salazar was working on it for a long time in association with the Dark Mark.  If he could tap the power of his wizards he would be invincible."    

"Good day, Miss Weasley," Snape said coldly.

"You just destroyed any trust I had with him," Ginny seethed as she walked out into the corridor.

"Trust makes you vulnerable," said Tom.

"Damn you!"

_"Probably," Tom agreed._

"Do you know about this potion?" Ginny asked.

_"Somewhat."_

"So are you going to tell me about it, or do I have to pry it out of you drop by drop?"

"The memories are there," said Tom ruefully.  "It's not like I'm keeping secrets.  You just don't like those memories, Ginny Love."

Ginny didn't go to Gryffindor Tower.  Instead she went to the kitchen and got some food for her basilisk.  Then she went back to the room to dig through her and Tom's memories.  

This transfer has long been able to be accomplished permanently, but only through sacrifice, one of the individuals had to die—like Rookwood transferring his power to Voldemort, thought Ginny with a shiver of disgust.  

"Like my mother transferring her power to me," said Tom, "and Slytherins sapping the power of their Squibs for generations."  

Ginny felt sick. "What would the Order of Phoenix have to do with this?" she wondered. "This looks like Dark Magic to me."

"Definitely on the edge," agreed Tom. "But they wanted to find a way to tap the power latent in Harry Potter."

"What power?" asked Ginny.

"Well, that's the question of the hour, isn't it?" agreed Tom, "but it wouldn't just take a potion, as Snape told you.  It would take an intricate charm that few witches or wizards could accomplish and awful lot of blood from a baby."

"How much blood?" asked Ginny.  

"All of it," said Tom.  "Since the Aurors didn't want to kill little Harry, I presume they did the potion over a series of months."

"Months," thought Ginny, "when Lily were both under strict guards.  Months when she could not be with her baby."

"And the prophecy?" wondered Ginny.

Tom guffawed.  "The prophecy was made years earlier by a twelve-year-old untried child.  No one knew about the prophecy at that time.  It was only after the fact that the prophecy was discovered to be true, and we're not even sure that the potion and spell would have worked.  

"—would still work," said Tom

++

Hermione was wrong about Samara's brothers.  They were quite determined to come with the trio all the way to Knockturn Alley.  Harry found them rather annoying, although, Harry had to admit, they were the first people that didn't freak out when they saw his basilisk.  Of course, they just thought it was a small snake.

The ride to London was virtually uneventful, the Muggles at first, coaxing for proof of the trios' magic.  The requests finally calmed to superior smirks that said of course they couldn't do magic.  

"There's no such thing as magic," muttered Garrett.

 Ron found it extremely irritating, but Hermione managed to keep him from punching one of the boys.

"Hey, Garrett," asked Simon, "Can you drive. Give me a break?"

"No. Dad said no car, remember?"

"Dad isn't here Garrett."

Garrett raised an eyebrow.

"Dad isn't going to find out," insisted Simon.

"Dad always finds out.  I'll walk through the door and it will be written across my forehead in big flashing neon lights.  Garrett-drove-the-car." 

Simon laughed. "Ok, you're right."

"You thought Dad was mad the first time.  Directly disobeying punishment.  Do you want me dead?"

"Ok. Ok. You're right.  I'll drive, but I need a break.  Let's get a coke or something."

"I'm hungry.  It's past lunchtime," observed Garrett.

 They pulled into a small shop that offered fast food and drinks.

"Do you have any money?" whispered Hermione.

"No," said Ron.

"Not Muggle money," said Harry.

Hermione dug through the coat pockets searching for loose change.  She had three Sicles and a Knut. "Why didn't I think of this?" she complained to herself.  "I guess I've been at school too long."   They sat at a table, while the Muggles ordered.  When they came back to the table with sandwiches and fries and drinks, the Muggles looked at the trio.

"Aren't you hungry?" Garrett asked.

"Not really," said Hermione, fiddling with the buttons of her coat.

Ron shook his head although his growling stomach belayed the fact.

"We only have wizard money," said Harry.

"That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard," snapped Garrett, shoving fries and a coke toward the threesome.

Simon shrugged and went headed back to the counter.  "Burgers alright?" he called back. 

"Um.  Salad?" said Hermione questioningly.

Garrett was still sulking when Simon came back to the table.  "Don't worry about it, little brother," said Simon.  "You start to expect this sort of thing when you get a job. Everyone mooches off of you."

"We are not—" said Harry, insulted.  He reached into his pocket and dragged out an assortment of wizarding money including two gold Galleons and slapped them on the table.

"Harry!" admonished Hermione with a harsh whisper.  "They are Muggles—"

"Is that real gold?" asked Garrett amazed.

"Yeah," snapped Harry.  "We'll pay you back."

"Great," said Simon. "And some petrol too.  The car doesn't run on magic, you know."

Garrett sniggered.

The group continued the trip into London, the traffic increasing as they got closer to city center, and all of them got quiet to let Simon concentrate on his driving.  "Do we have to go all the way into the city center?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," muttered Ron.  "I think it's near here.  The number of times I've come with my older brothers, I should remember."

"You never came by car," Harry pointed out.

"There!  There!" called Hermione.  "I knew I would remember where it was.  Park by that bookshop," she ordered.  They parked the car at one of the metered curbs and walked the rest of the way to The Leaky Caldron.  The wind was bitter cold, and they all pulled their coat collars up around their faces.  _At least it wasn't raining_, thought Harry.  

Harry, Ron and Hermione, thought that they would leave the two brothers at the café down the street from the Leaky Cauldron and proceed to Knockturn, but the boys protested.  At last, they did exactly what Hermione had hoped they wouldn't have to do.  They darted into the Leaky Caldron expecting to leave the boys outside, but they followed them right in.

"You can see the Leaky Caldron?"  asked Harry amazed.

"Leaky? Demolished, seems more like it," said Garrett looking around, and wondering what held up the ceiling.

"Magic," said Harry, and Garrett turned around, staring at the ceiling in amazement.  "Oh hello," he greeted Tom, the proprietor, as a couple more wizards entered with swirling robes.

"Must be because they're Squibs instead of Muggles," worried Hermione. "I don't know if we can lose them."

"Well if they don't see us go—" muttered Ron moving behind a man who obviously had giant blood, and pulling Hermione out the back entrance.

"If only we could do a concealing charm," moaned Hermione glancing back to see if they were pursued.

"They're fascinated with the guy with the sparkling stars on his robe," said Harry.  "I think we're lost them.

"What keeps them from leaving without us," worried Ron as they slipped through the wall.

Hermione reached into her robe pocket and pulled out the car keys.

"When did you _Accio them?" asked Ron.  "I didn't see you—"_

"You did it wandlessly, didn't you?" said Harry.

Hermione nodded. "And I have a splitting headache, just like when I _Accioed_ my wand off of Lucius Malfoy.  I don't know how someone could do a more complicated spell.  Their head would explode."

"Shh," said Harry turning back toward the wall, but it was only another wizard coming through, the fellow with the stars on his robe.   They hurried forward to Borgin & Burkes.

Luckily it was one of the first shops they came to.  They fell through the doorway, looking for Malfoy.  He was unconcernedly appraising an enchanted diadem as fine as thread of silk.  "And it would be virtually undetectable in my hair, even by Legilimency?" 

"I'd stake my life on it," said Mr. Borgin.

"Humph," said Draco. He turned as the trio entered.  A frown crossed his face. "You were followed," he said, handing the diadem back to Mr. Borgin and taking a step back behind a sarcophagus. 

The door opened again and in came Samara's two brothers.

"You tried to sneak out on us," accused Simon.

Draco looked from one to the other and back to Harry.  "I knew you were pathetic Potter.  But I had no idea how pathetic. You can't even keep Squibs from following you. This was a mistake."

"We didn't owl you, Malfoy," spat Ron.  "You owled us."

"I'm leaving," said Draco, with a swirl of robes, he took two steps towards the door. 

Unfortunately, Samara's brothers were in the doorway, and Garrett grasped Draco's shoulder. "Now, just a minute," he said.

The death glare from Draco made Garrett back instantly away or perhaps Garrett was repelled by merely touching the wizard, but Draco had his wand out instantly. He hesitated, looking at the wand in his hand.  "Sorry, reflex," he said.  He glanced back at the trio as he pocketed the wand.  "Wands should only be used for classes."  His face broke into its customary smirk.

"What!" cried Hermione.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Do you really want the Ministry to know every little spell you can do, Mudblood? A wizard has to have some privacy."

"You've called her a Mudblood for the last time," said Ron lunging for Draco.  

Samara's brothers parted to make room for them, but Mr. Borgin reacted faster, stunning Ron in mid-lunge.  "Leave," he said coldly, holding his wand at Ron's nose.

"Oh, it's alright, Mr. Borgin," said Draco, brushing his robe with the back of his hand, and reaching down to pull a groggy Ron to his feet.  "My friend here sometimes gets so into slumming, he forgets reality."  Draco tossed the man a galleon.  "For your room, and your silence," he said.

"Of course young Mr. Malfoy."  Bowing obsequiously, the man motioned to a back room.  Draco walked regally into it followed by the trio and Samara's brothers.

The room looked like a garish boardroom.  An enormous walnut table and chairs graced the center.  Shelves with everything from shrunken heads to jewelry and potions lined the walls. Draco immediately sat at the head of the table and waited for the others to assemble.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked Ron as soon as they entered the room.

"Yeah," he said, but Harry didn't think he looked alright. He looked extremely pale and shaken.  "That was some stunning spell though—and you Malfoy—"

"It wasn't just a stun, you stupid, git."  
  


"Look," said Harry throwing up his hands.  "Let's call a truce.  None of us like each other all that much, but let's try to work together to get the job done. The sooner it's done, the sooner we can go our separate ways."

"True," said Hermione.

"Very well," said Draco, glancing at Hermione and sighing. "I will refrain from calling the cauldron black.  I doubt the Weasel can refrain from being stupid, but I do put up with Gregory and Vincent.  What are we going to do about the Squibs?"

It took Harry a second to realize Draco was talking about Crabbe and Goyle, and Squibs, Samara's brothers, who had been uncommonly quiet throughout the entire exchange.

"I don't know," said Harry, taking the other seat next to Malfoy.  Samara's brothers sat on the other side of him and he glanced at them saying, "I suppose they are trustworthy.  It is their sister we are looking for—"

"Trustworthy—" began Simon, but Draco interrupted.

"By the way," said Draco holding out his hand across the table to the brothers.  "I'm Draco Malfoy, in case you haven't guessed."

"And you're a wizard too?" asked Garrett as he shook Draco's hand.  "You know there had to be some trick to his flying across the room back there.  Why don't you tell us what it is?"

"It would be a great prank, wouldn't it Garrett?" added Simon

"Prank?" said Draco, a sly grin appearing on his face.  "So you don't believe in magic?  Really?"  Draco leaned in nonchalantly against the table and flexed his fingers.  The slight crackle of magic reached Harry's ears and he felt Shesha stir sensing the latent magic.  "Neither did the last Muggle I met," continued Draco softly.  "Allow me to change your perspective—"

"Draco, stop it.  If the ministry is breathing down our necks, how will we save Samara?" said Harry reaching forward and covering Draco's hand with his own.  He abruptly pulled his hand back as Malfoy's magic crackled along his skin, and Shesha hissed warningly under his sleeve.

"Do you think I'd get caught?  Your lack of confidence cuts me to the quick, Potter."   

"Well, save it for the Dark Lord," spat Ron,

Now that the little basilisk was awake, she pocked her head out of Harry's sleeve curiously scenting Draco's magic. "{Ssheiss?}"  She inquired flicking her tongue and tasting the magic.

"{No Shesha—not ssheiss—at least not now,}" Harry hissed back sharply, trying to hide the serpent. Ron turned his glare to the basilisk and Hermione coughed uneasily, trying to muffle the parseltongue. Unfortunately Draco noticed.

"New pet Potter? Interesting choice. That will go over quite well with the Gryffs, won't it?" Draco smirked and Harry glared at him, and Shesha stuck out her tongue with a decidedly superior attitude.

Draco chuckled and leaned back in the chair, which grew tiny hands and began massaging his neck.  "Very well. Do you Gryffindors have a plan for this little rescue?"

Harry wondered how Draco managed to make the word Gryffindor sound like a swear word on his lips.

"We just thought we would go and get them," said Ron.  "Quickly.  Get in.  Get out. Use the element of surprise."

"That isn't a plan," said Draco. "That's suicide."

"Well, first we need to know where the girls are," said Harry .  "All we can discern from the locator potion is snow.  It's not helping much."

"Ah--A locator potion brewed no doubt by the Mu-Milady here."  Draco gave a little bow in Hermione's direction, and smirked at her.

"I brewed it with Ron's help," said Hermione coolly.

"I assume that's why you picked up the Squibs," said Draco, addressing Harry again.

Simon turned to interrogate Hermione.  "Why does he keep calling us squids? I know he's calling us something nasty, I can tell by the tone, but why squids?"

"Squibs, not squids—" Hermione started to explain..

"No actually, they drove us here," said Harry.

"Drove?" asked Draco.  "As in a Muggle –um transportation thing-"

"A car," said Hermione.

"With the Squib that wrecked his father's car?" demanded Draco, incredulous.  "Oh you are brave," he said.

"Who told you I wrecked the car?" snapped Garrett.

"Why, Samara of course.  I'm not a Legilimens."

"A what?" asked Garrett.  "And what's this squid thing?"

 "Oh _do_ shut up," said Draco, removing Garrett's mouth with a flip of his hand.  "You're annoying."

"You're where Samara got that spell," spat Harry.

"Give him back his mouth," demanded Hermione, but Garrett reacted faster than Hermione jumping to his feet and taking a swing at Draco.  

Draco ducked, and held both hands in front of himself.  **_"Imperio,"_** he said softly, and Simon immediately turned punching his younger brother full in the face where his mouth would have been if he had had one.

Garrett wasted no time punching him back.  "A galleon says the younger one wins, Potter," challenged Draco.

"That—that—" sputtered Hermione.  "That was Imperius!"  

"You can't," echoed Harry.

"Look," said Draco in a bored voice, "a Dark Mark gets you a life sentence in Azkaban so what's an unforgivable?  At some point I'm bound to need to prove to the Ministry that I was under Imperius.  Don't you think it makes sense that I become familiar with the spell that is probably going to save my life?  Your sister should do the same," he said to Ron.

Ron looked horrified.

"You are sick, Malfoy," said Harry.

"I'm enjoying your company too, Potter. I'm having loads of fun.  Let's just get the job done, and we can be out of each others abhorrent company."  Draco sidestepped just as Garrett landed a particularly wicked punch and his brother crumpled unconscious.  "I told you the younger would win," said Draco.  "Pay up, Potter."

"I didn't bet," said Harry coldly.

"Oh well," Draco shrugged.

"Draco?" said Hermione.  His first name sounded strange on Hermione's lips and both Harry and Ron looked at her.  "I think Garrett needs his mouth back."  

Indeed, the blood was running freely from Garrett's nose and he was turning a little blue since he couldn't breathe through his mouth or his nose.  He stretched one hand out to the trio and then collapsed on the ground.

Draco stepped over him and studied the bottles on the wall.  "He has to have an empty one somewhere," Draco muttered.  "Ah here we go."  Draco opened the bottle, and intoned _Glomerare__ Camella, causing the blood from Garrett's nose to coalesce into a small stream, which poured itself into the empty bottle.  He then reversed the spell, which had removed Garrett's mouth, and Garrett sucked a deep breath of air into his lungs._

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione appalled.

"Collecting his blood," said Draco.  "Guaranteed Squib blood is premium on the market.  It's very hard to tell the difference from Muggle blood."

"You are disgusting," spat Harry.  "It's not like you need the money, Malfoy."

"My family didn't get where we are, by passing up opportunities," said Draco coldly as he stoppered the bottle and set it aside. He nodded to Samara's brothers. "Shall we let them sleep and get on with our business?"

Harry nodded uneasily.  "Do you know where this place is—where Voldemort is keeping the girls?"

"The Snow Castle?"  said Draco.  

"Yes.  You've been there.  You have to know where it is," demanded Ron.

"Where is the Snow Castle?" Draco said thoughtfully. "I've often assumed it was the North Pole.  Yes.  He kicked Father Christmas out and took his house elves--cookies and Cocoa for everyone.  Merry Muggle hunting to all, and to all a good night."

They all just stared at him.  "It's a joke Potter.  If I have to explain it takes all the fun out of it."  He closed his eyes and shook his head.  "Gryffindors.  No sense of humor."

"So where is it?" persisted Ron.

"I don't know," Draco said exasperated.  "I used a portkey, floo, house elf , Apparated, but I have no idea where it is."

"If you've Apparated, you have to know where you're going.  Visualization aside—" began Harry.

"There were extenuating circumstances, Potter," said Draco coldly.

"Oh yeah, when your Dark Mark's burning you know where you're going," spat Ron.

"So glad I didn't have to explain –" said Draco.

"Ok, so you can't tell us where it is," said Harry.  "How do you propose we get there then?"

"When I'm called, if I go right away, I should be able to divert the Apparition slightly so that I arrive in an adjacent room."

"Should?" said Hermione.

"Ok, I can," said Draco.  "No problem.  I'll take one of you with me.  I'd suggest you Potter since you've had advanced charms.  You can make a portkey, back to your friends and the reverse, back to the Snow Castle. You'll have probably five minutes that the shields will be down while the other Death Eaters Apparate.  Can you make a portkey that fast?"

"No way," interrupted Ron. "You could just Apparate right in front of You-Know-Who with Harry!"  

"And what purpose would that serve?" asked Draco.

"Who knows what goes through your sick mind.  You had to be nuts to get the Dark Mark in the first place."

Draco surprisingly said nothing.

"This sounds an awful lot like a trap," said Ron.  "Forget it Malfoy—"

"I'll do it," said Harry.

"Harry, are you mad?  You're trusting Malfoy!"

"No, I'm not," said Harry, his green eyes boring into Malfoy's. "If I have any inkling of a trick, I'll take over the Apparition."

"You're mighty confident that you can," said Draco.

"Yes, I am," said Harry.

"It's not my spell," said Draco. "It's His."

"Exactly," said Harry.  "At best, He'll think you are fighting his spell.  At worst, you'll splinch."

"I think you have that backwards, Potter," said Draco softly.  

Harry looked at him quizzically.

"It's at best, I'd splinch," said Malfoy.  "But I'm not going to betray you.  I want Samara back as much or more than you do, so it's a deal." 

"Good," said Harry holding out his hand to Draco.  

Draco looked at it for a moment, and for a second Harry was transported back in time to Madam Maulkins when Draco had once held out a hand in friendship to him.  He thought, _Draco__ wasn't going to take his hand, but Draco surprised him and grasped it firmly.  His hand was warm with latent magic.  "It's a deal," he said._

And then, turning back to the table, he said, "There's something else we should discuss."

"What's that?" asked Hermione.

"Who to trust," said Draco.

Harry started to answer, but Hermione stopped him. "I don't see why we have to do this," said Hermione.  "I don't think we have a whole lot of trust for you, Malfoy."

"Touche' Milady, but what if you get caught?"

"My name is Hermione."

Draco smirked.  "Who should I go to for help?  Or should I just let things—um," he shrugged nonchalantly.  "Take their course?"

Harry shuddered.  "We're not going to get caught," he said.  

"You may be able to pull that Gryffindor luck out of your ass, Potter, but I'm a Slytherin. I want a back up plan."

"Sirius," said Harry slowly. "You can trust Sirius and Lupin."

A shadow of a frown crossed Malfoy's face.  "What is it?" Harry asked immediately.  "What do you know that we don't, Malfoy?"

Draco laughed shortly. "I only planned to be here an hour or so, not my whole life time."

"You're such an annoying prat," said Harry.  "I'm starting to see why Samara used _Imperio_ on you."

Draco's face darkened like a storm cloud.  "That is not your business, Potter," he said with surprising menace.  He stood and paced away from the table.  "There's a census on dangerous creatures."

"We knew that," said Harry.  "The Ministry is trying to keep track—"

"The _Ministry_ has nothing to do with it," spat Draco.  "He wants to know where they are for future reference, especially those with vampire or werewolf blood.  The giants were a disappointment to him.  You realized he already had those with siren blood, didn't you?"

"What?"  Harry stared.

"Since Beauxbatons."  Draco shook his head.  "Honestly, what was the point of attacking Beauxbatons except to capture the veelas?"

"Veelas?"  asked Ron confusedly.

"Is he always this stupid, Potter? Even Goyle has the grace to keep quiet when he has nothing to say."

"Why did he attack Durmstrang then?  I thought most of those who went to school there would agree with him."

"They do," said Draco. "They are at the Snow Castle now. That's part of the problem with getting you in and out.  There are too many people milling around.  Bring the scrap you pulled out of the Invisibility Cloak. We'll need it."

"Just a minute," said Ron, but Harry nodded.  "He's right," said Harry "We'll need the Invisibility cloak, but did you know it doesn't work all the time?"

Draco frowned. 

"Moody could see through it with his magical eye.  Is there anyone else?  Any Death Eaters with magical eyes or anything like that?"

"No," said Draco, "But we won't try to get past Him with it, and from what I've read Animagi could smell us, so we'll have to be careful of Millicent and Pritch and Wormtail."  Draco paused. "You haven't asked about Beatrice."

"We know," said Harry.

"That she was _Crucioed_?_"  Draco shook his head.  "I'd rather be dead," said Draco dryly, and they were all silent for a moment thinking about Beatrice._

Hermione threw a puzzled look at Ron, but Harry continued.  "And how's Samara?" 

"Same," said Draco.  "We aren't going to try to rescue her the first time there.  We're just going to get the portkey made, ok?"

The trio didn't answer.  "Ok?" asked Draco again. "I'm not doing this for Him to torture me, you know."  Draco sighed.  "He's played with death before and if he tampers with her, she might not be the same Samara when she wakes.  But right now, he's content to let things take the natural course, so we shouldn't disturb her either, but if he doesn't—"

"Can't we get her out unconscious?" asked Hermione

"No.  No.  Too risky, for her and us," said Draco, "but if he decides to use some of his manipulations, we may have to.  Right now, let's just finish putting together this list of people who can help us.  You said Sirius and Lupin.  Not Dumbledore?"

"I don't know," said Harry.  "I suppose so."

"I wouldn't," said Draco. "Ever since the prediction that said he would defeat Grindelwald surfaced, he's lived his whole life around one prediction or another.  At least he was decisive.  Now, that the prophecies are wearing thin, I think he's going a little senile.  He _is_ over one hundred and fifty and he always was weird."

"Ok, Dumbledore in reserve," said Harry.  "But I have heard that he's the only wizard the Dark Lord ever feared."

"No, he was the only wizard Tom Riddle ever feared. We're talking about a schoolboy here, and believe me, Lord Voldemort is no schoolboy.  Anyway, that too was a prophecy."  

Harry hesitated.  Even though he had his own reservations about Dumbledore, he had no intention of taking Malfoy's word for anything.  "So who can we trust on your side?"  Harry asked.  

"Pansy and Lauren," said Draco immediately, "and Lauren's father of course, Marshall Avery.  I think that's it.  If you need to contact me, send any owls to Lauren. She'll owl me."

"It's faster for us to owl you directly," said Hermione.

"It's safer for Lauren to," said Draco.

"Ok," agreed Harry.  "How do I know when you are going to be summoned?"

"Not summoned," Draco snapped.  "Called.  And you don't.  I'll need a portkey to your place.  I'll just come and get you. Sorry.  He doesn't generally send invitations."

"I don't like it," muttered Ron.

"Honestly," said Draco.  "I thought you were a Gryffindor.  You whine more than Gregory."  He turned to Harry.  "Potter, if you try to rescue her on the first trip, all agreements are off."

Harry hesitated.  "If the opportunity comes up—"

**"NO!"** snapped Draco.  "We'll do it when He is out of the castle.  Otherwise He's going to start questioning people, and if he questions me, I'll tell him everything."

Harry nodded.

"I suppose you're going to drive back with the Squibs," Draco said eyeing the crumpled forms in the corner.  "Hard to drive when you're unconscious, I'd imagine."

"Draco," said Hermione softly, "do you think you could _Ennervate_ them for us?  Maybe a healing charm, at least for Garrett's nose?"

"No memory alterations?" asked Draco with a raised eyebrow.

"No.  I don't think so," said Hermione.

"It must be terrible to be so dependent on that piece of wood," said Draco snidely. "Or a Slytherin. It's almost like the full marks from Hogwarts mean nothing. **_Ennervate_**_._"

Hermione blushed bright red, and her hands clenched at her sides, magic gathering in her fist.

The boys started to stir in the corner, Garrett groaning as he pulled himself to a sitting position.

_"**Medico**,"_ said Hermione, directing the magic toward Garrett's broken nose.  Immediately she staggered with the power of the spell, and she brought her hands to her temples.

"Don't worry about it, Mudblood," said Draco. "Mum always says a little pain builds character."  

He turned and nearly walked into Ron.  "Apologize," Ron growled.

"Oh, sorry, Milady," Draco said but he didn't sound sorry at all.  "Old habits die hard, Weasel.  You should know that."  He brushed past Ron and strode out to the shop room.  

Their last sight of him was haggling over the price of squib blood with Mr. Borgin.

"I know you don't generally deal in perishables," said Draco. "But I don't have time to take it elsewhere, and like you said, it will spoil."

"How do I know it's really Squib blood, and not just ordinary Muggle?" asked Mr. Borgin.

"I'm a Malfoy," said Draco haughtily.

"If it isn't, what you say, I'll owl your father," said Mr. Borgin, turning the vial thoughtfully in his hand.

"Done," said Draco, shaking his hand.

The trio slipped out of the door followed by a rather groggy pair of Squibs.  They hurried back through the Leaky Cauldron and out to the street where they left the car.

"Ok," said Garrett rubbing his nose.  "I'm convinced Draco's a wizard."

"What about me?" said Hermione.

"Damn," said Simon. "A parking ticket.  Dad's going to kill me."

"You have a job," said Garrett.  "Just pay it and don't tell him."

Simon looked at the sky.  

"Ok," said Garrett.  "That won't work."

"And it's from London.  I'm dead," complained Simon.

"And even if you live, definitely no car," agreed Garrett. "Do you have to be a wizard to use those portkey things?" Garrett asked Harry.

Harry shrugged.

"Why don't we stop at Connor's flat on the way home," said Simon.  "He always has the best ideas on how to get by Dad."

"Not that he needs them," said Garrett as they headed back toward home.

"I have my own parents to worry about," said Hermione.  "I told them I'd be back by six o'clock."

"Oh we'll have you home in plenty of time," said Simon.  

Connor was nothing like his brothers.  He reminded Harry of Percy, a stickler for rules and order.  His flat was immaculate and he insisted that the whole group of them take off their shoes before they stepped on his carpet.  When he heard about the parking ticket, he asked to see it.  Then he suggested that they come right out and tell their father the truth.

"Tell him you got a parking ticket, but in an effort to show that you have some responsibility for your actions, you intend to pay for it, and would like to know if he has any further requirements you must fulfill to keep your car privileges.  He will appreciate your candor."

"You wouldn't tell him the truth if it were your parking ticket," said Simon.  "You'd lie straight to his face."

"That's me," said Connor. "You, however, would not get away with lying.  Play to your strengths little brother."

"Yeah, and what are they?" muttered Simon.

"Well, as soon as we find some, Simon, we'll let you know," said Garrett.

Simon punched Garret on the arm, and Garrett playfully pushed him back.

"Not in the house," said Connor, in a voice that brooked no argument.

_Definitely like Percy_, thought Harry.

They talked for a few more minutes about Samara's abduction, filling Connor in on all of the details that he had missed.  He listened carefully, and then said, "So, Grandma Lori has a way of communicating with you?"

"Well, not right now," said Harry, "but as soon as we get back to Hogwarts, I can send Agamemnon to her with any news we have."

"Will this owl come to me instead?" asked Connor.

"Yes, if I send him here," said Harry.

"Do that," said Connor. "Grandmother is an old woman.  She doesn't need any more stress in her life.  My parents give her enough."

Harry found himself back outside, feeling rather like he and the others had been dismissed.  It was cold, had started to rain and was generally miserable weather.  They watched the swish-swish of the windshield wipers until they got near to Samara's house.

"Hey, do you want us to take you home?" asked Simon.

"Oh no, we'll just use the portkey," said Harry.

"Anything to delay telling Dad about the ticket, right?" asked Garrett, but Simon didn't answer.  

 "We're going to head right back," said Hermione.  "Thanks for your help."  She gathered up her bag from the back seat of the car, and the threesome got out. 

The brothers were already back to talking about the parking ticket as they exited the car.  "So I'm just going to say I got a ticket and I'm going to pay it," said Simon.

"And he'll say, let me see it," said Garrett.

Simon felt in his pockets for the ticket.  "I don't have it," he said.  "I can't show it to him.  I must have left it at Conner's. "

"Hey," wondered Garrett, "Do you think Connor kept it on purpose, so Dad wouldn't see it."

"Nah, he's not that nice," said Simon.

++

The door closed on their conversation and the trio was left standing in the freezing drizzle in front of the Donnally house.  

"So when are we going to make this portkey for Draco?" asked Hermione. "And practice, if you need it, Harry?"

"Sirius house?" ventured Harry.

"He won't let you do magic over the holiday," predicted Ron.

"Let's just go, before we are completely drenched," said Harry pulling out the portkey.  All three put their hands on it and the tug behind their navel took them back to Hermione's house.  

+++

Answers to Reviewers 

**After you have reviewed, please come and visit us at   **

**Answer the questions and join the discussion!**

Harpy: You sound like you need a new computer more than I do!  Did I capitalize Dad?  Oh well.  Have to check. Thanks for being a careful reader, and good luck with your "rose".  Did you read the first story, _The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning_?  I don't remember you reviewing.  I hope you did or you are shortly going to be very confused.  You did know that Edward's wand contains a harpy feather, right?

Anonymous:  sacrilegious?    Well, that's me.  Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Adaneth:  You were disappointed when Harry woke up!  Lol.  Oh that's rich.  I thought about leaving him dead—no not really—not yet anyway—(evil laughter)  More Tom and Ginny to come.

SeviSnape is my Savior & Lucius is my Lover:  Gosh with a name like that, how can I answer?  Does everyone hate Harry these days?   I thought he was actually tolerable in this fic.  He's really useless in the first book.  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Draco in this chapter.  A little bit of Lucius to come—lots more Snape.

Sky:  Thanks for the review

Elfstoned:  Welcome and come and visit at the yahoo group, w-groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Seers_Truth  Now that the rescue with the dog is not going to work, I wonder what Snape will do with the dog.  Any ideas?

Terry:  Glad you enjoyed.  Hope you liked Samara's brothers and Draco.  Sorry I didn't leave Harry in the Chamber.  Gosh you are a blood thirsty lot!

Tiamat Warcraft:  An evil and mystifying voice echoes from your computer:  You must never miss reviewing again.

Emma-Trelawny:  Glad you like the trio.  You are in the minority in my readership.  And no Ginny can't get the emerald right now.

TajuAkiel:  Promise I will finish the story. You promise you will read and review.

Jager:  Snape knows more than he lets anyone know.  He's a tricky guy.

Trillium:  Harry/Myrtle.  Hehehe.   And would you tell Snape that dream?

Silverfox:  Well, the Mauraders made that map and I just wanted everyone to realize they should have let Lily in on the fun.  I never said the Slytherin common room wasn't on the map. I said some warded areas. We know from JK, they got Snape's office so they got some Slytherin areas, but I can't see any of the Mauraders in my Slytherin girls' dorm, at least not at their time period.  The head of Slytherin house would have killed them.  And yes, I agree Harry was fighting a losing battle with the basilisk.  He couldn't kill it and he couldn't keep it.  Or could he?

Reiven:  Thanks for the review.  The emerald is an emerald.  It is not a potion.  Hope you enjoyed the Draco.  More coming as you might imagine.

Ennui deMorte:    Severus, an eunich.  Lol. Sorry, Draco isn't going to be hissusss anytime soon.

Kemenran:  Insightful as always

Wesley Peppers:  Glad you enjoyed.  Keep reading.  More fun to come.

THANK YOU TO ALL MY READERS AND REVIEWERS.  

You do not have to pay for this fic, a simple sentence telling what you thought about the chapter is much appreciated by the author, so please review.  Not only that, it will keep your fellow readers from complaining—

Lady Lestrange


	8. CH 8 A Long Way Home

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 8**

**A Long Way Home**

**15 Reviews**:  I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin.  It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear.  Love my readers and reviewers.  Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer:**  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  No money is made from this fanfic.  Thanks JK.

Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte 

**   ==   **

Without a word, Voldemort waved the house elf from the chair next to Samara and seated himself there.  He could see the weight lost because of her not eating, even though Severus had fed her with magic.  Beneath her fingernails were traces of dirt from the Earth Elemental.  Her face was glistening with sweat, and the smell of body odor had begun to be noticeable to him when he tasted the air with his tongue.  

"Elf," he admonished with narrowed eyes.  "I want her cleaner." 

"Yes, Master," the elf squeaked and doing her own personal brand of magic, cleaned the sour smell from Samara's body.   

He tasted the air again and was satisfied. "For your punishment, tonight you will scrub your own body with dragon blood drain cleaner."  Winky whimpered.  "I expect to see evidence that you have done a sufficient job," Voldemort continued, "or in the future, you will not have any skin to scrub." Voldemort placed the glowing hot tip of his wand along Winky's ear, singing the long hairs that grew there. "And you will keep her and her robes clean in the future." He withdrew the wand from the elf.

"Yes Master. Winky is—" she began, but he silenced it with a look. She stood nervously chewing her ears. He held Nagini on his shoulder for a moment more and then put her quietly on the floor.

"{She has much magic,}" commented Nagini.

"{Yes,}" said Voldemort. "{Perhaps too much.}"

"{Others with so much have died,}" Nagini remembered.

"{Yes,}" he agreed. "{But I intend to bring her back from death.}"

"{A noble purpose,}" Nagini commented.

"{She won't think so,}" said Voldemort. "{She will hurt. I will hurt.}"  

With purpose, he leaned forward and touched her face.

The first thing he noticed when he touched her was the heat—the white hot flame of the fire Elemental burning away her humanity.  She should be struggling in agony, this close to death, but she was still, only the sweat bearing witness to her pain.  He could sense her attention elsewhere on something far from her pain, and while she was preoccupied, her body was being consumed by the magic.  It was so powerful here that he hesitated, but only for a moment.  Then he dug his fingers like claws into her consciousness and entered the magic to see what she saw.

The light blinded him at first, a painfully searing light that glittered off of the water. It was a huge expanse of water lay before him and a great flickering light shined that would not allow him to open his eyes. Only moments into the elementals with her and already he was hurting and blind. He waited for something he could understand. The flutter of movement caught his attention. He pushed forward, sensing, tasting and she stirred, feeling his intrusion.

"Child?" he breathed. "Come back with me."

Her emerald green eyes, as timeless as the stone basilisks' eyes, turned to him. Eyes filled with questions and with pain.  

"Why are you here?"

"To learn. To help."

"I'm glad," she said, "but I must help this man first."

He saw no one, but she turned her face away from him to examine the butterfly she held in her hand, a butterfly so fragile and beautiful that for a moment he was transported through time to the beginning. 

"Helga?" he whispered, one part of him doubting his senses, another thinking what a totally useless Animagus a butterfly was.

Then he realized with a sudden start of fear that the butterfly wasn't an Animagus at all, it was a Sylph, the embodiment of the air elemental, glowing with light and magic. The movement of the magic flowed over the body of the butterfly making it seem to move, but it was not truly alive. It was only the stuff of which life was made, raw and untamed, and yet still content to remain in her hand.  It was a creature of light and air, her creation, made to enslave him here in this land of death!  He snatched his thoughts from her, creating a breach between them.

She looked at him. "No, not mine," she said. "It is free. It must choose."  She opened her hand and the creature fluttered away, out of his reach. _Such power! And she let it loose!  What a fool._

He leaned and stretched his magic to capture it, clawing the empty air where it lived and he was filled with pain. It was her pain: the pain of death. He knew its cold touch. As he entered the Air Elemental, her soul was displaced. She was forced to give up some of her contact with the Elemental because of his focused movement. The euphoria of spirit the Elementals were creating in her soul giving way to the devastation that the Elementals were creating in her body. She became aware, once again, of her body suffering for her lack of attention.  She became aware of the pain.

_The cost of beauty was too high_, he thought. _It served no purpose, brought no power and no sisshauss._  He was unable to reach the Sylph now. It fluttered as high as the sun and blended with the air. 

She had lost it, and he was crawling on the ground in one of his snake forms. No, not a snake, he thought. He was moving wrong, inching forward instead of slithering. He was a worm, bound to the earth. Vegetation sprung up around him. Yes, he understood. It was her contact with the Earth Elemental that was creating these various manifestations. It was her magic that bound him in this form, but he would not stay bound.  

He had been here before, this close to death.  He knew this path intimately, but the Earth did not interest him. He preferred the Fire and the Air. In the Air, he knew they could meet, but she was not allowing him to enter the Air. He sensed this and struggled to turn his Earth bound senses to Air, just as the Earth beneath his feet coaxed him to take root here.  _Perhaps Fire, he thought, but Fire was dangerous—much too dangerous. He would hurt her._

Searing pain shot through him as he pulled himself from the Earth. He was hurting her already, uprooting her from the Earth Elemental. He felt her struggle like Tom had struggled the day he first possessed him, like a butterfly pinned. The need to over come her filled him. The conquest was sweet and he had to exert an iron willed intent to keep from possessing her entirely. He knew from past experience where she would go to escape him. She would flee to the Elementals. She would die. 

He felt her pain and was drawn to it, but he knew he should withdraw and abandon his search. It was enough that he had loosened her rootedness in the Earth Elemental.  Every second he delayed, the power was being sucked from her life force pushing her not closer to recovery, but closer to the vastness of the Elementals.  He felt as if he were rushing down a slippery slope with her toward oblivion—a bright light or a vast darkness, it did not matter. It was empty and frightening.

_No!_ He would not permit her death. He pulled her back with him, back through the pain and the fear.  He was the greatest wizard of all time. He would not be forgotten. He would live forever:  He, himself, Lord Voldemort, _Salazar Slytherin, not some misty remembrance in the Elementals but _HIMSELF.__

With a sickening ripping sound he pulled himself from her and fell exhausted on the floor. He lay still and panting for only a moment.  He did not have the luxury of such actions. He felt Nagini's movement over his shoulder and the house elf at his neck.

"Master?" squeaked the house elf.

Voldemort pulled himself to his feet. "You did not see this," he said to the elf.  

"Saw nothing," squeaked Winky, backing away quickly. "Winky is a good elf. Winky has shut eyes."

"If you speak of this, even accidentally, you will have no eyes," Voldemort said coldly.

Winky placed both hands over her mouth and nodded. She said nothing.

"I am the most powerful wizard in the world. Nothing could bring me to my knees. _Ever._  Remember that."

Winky nodded without taking her hands from her mouth.

Voldemort brought his hands to Samara's face, examining the long red welts that marred her cheek where his fingers had dug for the Elementals and the magic had burned her.  Once again, bits of Earth magic were underneath her fingernails.

"{It is good,}" he told Nagini in parseltongue.

"{Her primary contact with the Elementals is Air.}"

"{Compatible with your Fire,}" agreed Nagini.

"{Yes,}" He smiled a slow smile.

"{So you know she is the prophecy child?}" asked Nagini.

"{No, I only know she is very, very powerful  At least as strong as Harry Potter.}"

"{Will she be sisshauss?}"

"{I don't know if I can take her power for my own,}" said Voldemort. "{I think it would diminish it.  It's so like Helga's, powerful, yet fragile.}"

"{Healing?}" asked Nagini

"{Yes,}" He stroked the snake distractedly. 

"{It will be fine, Master. She will make you whole.}"

"{No,}" he said, "{that is Harry Potter's task. She has another task entirely.}"

He ran his hands over her body, checking for injuries. Other than the expected drop in her body temperature, she was fine. He pulled the blanket around her shivering form and did a warming charm. The basilisks on her body nearly purred in contentment, bathed in warmth and magic.

"Go find Severus Snape," Voldemort told Winky.  "I want a wizard with her now at all times."

"Yes Master." The elf Disapparated with a pop.

"{Will she wake soon?}" asked Nagini.

"{I believe so,}" he said. "{If she is to awake at all.}"

"Master," said a Death Eater from the doorway, "This owl has been flying through the corridors for the last fifteen minutes." He opened the door, allowing the plain brown Gringotts owl to fly into the room and deposit his letter with Voldemort. The owl did not wait for a reply, but immediately departed, leaving behind a gold embossed letter with a Gringotts' seal.

++

Harry found it impossible to drink eggnog and eat Christmas cookies while Ginny, Samara and Beatrice were still prisoners.  Nonetheless, he twirled a glass of the drink absently and looked out the window at the freezing rain as Fred and George recounted their time at Hogwarts yesterday.  

"I'm telling you, Ginny is at Hogwarts," said Fred. "Mum won't listen to us at all."

"She just isn't thinking clearly," said George, "and then the news from Charlie isn't helping."

"News from Charlie?" asked Hermione.  

"Yeah. There was a break-in at Gringotts. Some mallions of Muggle money stolen," said Fred. "Didn't you see it in the Prophet?  There was an article about this big," Fred held up his thumb and index finger an inch apart, "on the sixth page."

"Mallions?" said Harry, edging his basilisk a little further up his sleeve. "Do you mean millions?"  

George shrugged. "After all, it was just Muggle money."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not getting a wizarding paper at home. Too many owls make the neighbors suspicious."

"Well, the Prophet blames it on the goblins like before, but this time, there was a dragon killed. It's all hush-hush. If Charlie wasn't involved with bringing in a replacement dragon, we wouldn't have even known."

"A dragon was killed?" asked Harry incredulous. "They aren't exactly easy to kill."

"True," said Fred, "And it's been years since a dragon died at Gringotts. Bill said that the last one killed was in 1938.  Apparently the culprits made so much noise that security was alerted before they could rob the place though. Stupid gits. Weird huh?"

"_That_ dragon might not have been killed," said George. "Bill said the whole body disappeared and was never recovered."

"What," laughed Ron, "someone like Hagrid wanted a pet dragon?"  

They all laughed at that and George added, "It wasn't the first dragon Charlie's brought in from Romania this year. He and his team brought five to guard Azkaban."

"Then Azkaban—"began Harry, but he broke off as Sirius stuck his head into the room.  

"Come into the Dining Room," he urged. "I have my grandmother all tucked into bed. I promise she won't scream at you." 

(A/N: Deviation from cannon. I know JK said it was his mother, but his mother wasn't a Black until she got married, was she? In fact no grand**mother** could have been **born a Black**, either unless like the Malfoys, there were a few generations of Blacks marrying Blacks to keep the blood pure. So, I imagine, this woman in the picture, had a mother whose name was Black and a father whose name was unknown. Then she married her second cousin, changing the family name **back to Black**. (Slytherin inbreeding)   In any case, I picture Sirius and Andromeda being left with a much less formidable woman than the one in the picture while Carman and her brother (Sirius' Dad) went with the Dark Lord.  It would account for both of them being light wizards. This doesn't affect this book, but may affect the next book in my series.)

"Why didn't you just give that picture to one of your cousins with the house elf?" asked Ron.

"Couldn't," answered Sirius.  "I can't get it off the wall."

"I still think you should have freed Kreacher rather than giving him to the Malfoys," said Hermione with a shudder. 

"Yeah, who knows what kind of stories he will tell about the Order," said Ron.

"He doesn't know anything about the Order except that it exists," said Sirius, "and truthfully, Voldemort already knows the Order has been called out.  He just doesn't know where we are."

"And we don't know where he is," said Harry.

"Minister Fudge says, 'It's just a matter of time until we locate him'" added Percy.

"True," agreed Sirius, "and Kreacher serves the house Black. Since I am the last Black, he is technically mine, but when I found that shrine in the basement to Valeriana back in September, I just lost it.  I told him he was bound by house elf law to keep my secrets, but he could choose the Black he wanted to serve or he could have clothes. He chose Narcissa. 

"I know he would have preferred Valeriana."  Sirius sighed.  "I don't know if that will work, but I'm glad to be rid of him. Dumbledore seems to think he will continue to be loyal to me as long as it doesn't directly conflict with Narcissa's wishes."

"We can hope," pronounced Ron as Sirius hurried back to the kitchen. 

"So what's Fudge doing about Voldemort?" Ron asked Percy.

"**Minister** Fudge is working very hard on the problem," said Percy. "As a matter of fact, that's why I had to work today and tomorrow.  He has a lead on some of the Death Eaters movements.  He's out of town investigating it. It's not like he's home enjoying his holiday."

"Not unless he's skiing on all that ice," muttered Ron.  

"Pardon?" said Percy.

"Oh, I said—that's nice," replied Ron as Percy began to berate the twins for bringing extendable ears with them to Sirius house.

"You never know when you may need them," said Fred petulantly.

"You don't really think Fudge is at the Snow Castle, do you, Ron?" whispered Hermione.

"Who knows?" said Harry in a whisper. "You don't think anyone would tell us, would they?"  He reached his hand under the sleeve of his robe absently stroking the sleeping Shesha. Her cool scales felt oddly reassuring.

"Time for supper," said Sirius as Arthur and Molly helped to carry the food to the dining room table. They had all gathered around Sirius' huge dining room table, when a flurry of motion announced the late arrival of another guest.  

The young woman tripped into the room and dropped a handful of packages under the tree. 

"I hope none of that was glass," said Sirius.

She grinned at him and pulled her icy hood off of her head.   Her hair was streaked red and green with holiday glitter, and her eyes were glistening amber color much like Madam Hooch's. Her eyebrows were also golden, like bits of glittering tinsel.  

"I took the time off to do some last minute shopping," she announced while pulling off the glittering cloak which sported an animated fox collar. The collar looked at them curiously and sniffed the scent of holiday food.

"Didn't you have time off for Christmas either, Tonks?" asked Molly.

"Well, not really," she said looking at Sirius, "But what Moody doesn't know won't hurt him. Thanks Sirius for watching them for me."  She leaned in to give Sirius a kiss.  "You're a dear," she said.

The fox growled and Sirius said, "He really doesn't like being part of your coat, Tonks."  She flicked her wand and released the little creature from the coat.  He trotted across the room, greeting everyone, and then curled up in front of the fire with a bone that Sirius gave him. Harry noted the bits of ice and snow clinging to his fur. _It must be uncommonly cold outside, he thought._

"This is my cousin, Nymphadora Tonks," said Sirius, introducing her to the children.

"Just Tonks," said the young woman, extending her hand to Hermione, Harry and Ron in turn.  

Harry's eyes narrowed.  "Watching who, Tonks?" he asked suspiciously.

"You've met everyone else I think," said Sirius and the twins nodded. 

"Tonks is really awesome—" began Fred, but Harry interrupted.  

"Watching who?" he persisted.

"Why you, of course, Harry. We couldn't have the three of you off at some unprotected Muggle house without an Auror guard, now could we?"

"You've been spying on us?" asked Harry incredulously.

Hermione and Ron just stared open mouthed.

"Oh, now. It isn't spying," said Tonks. "It's protecting. And you've been mighty good too, except for those six hours in the Riddle House. Merlin! I was frantic! The first two trips—"

"Six hours?" bellowed Sirius incredulously. "Three trips?"

"Riddle house," echoed the Weasleys.

"It's this type of irresponsible behavior," began Percy, but Sirius' voice drowned him out.  

"Why didn't you report this, Tonks?" demanded Sirius.

Harry rubbed his hand over his scar, thinking she must have only followed the magical transportation to the Riddle house. She didn't realize that they left the Riddle house, walking to Samara's and then driving to Knockturn Alley.

"What were you looking for anyway?" asked Tonks, ignoring Sirius' outburst as she filled her plate.

"Not what, who," said Harry shortly, and Molly Weasley started to cry softly. Hermione leaned over to comfort her along with her husband.

"Now look what you've done," Percy accused.

"But six hours!  I was beginning to think you got caught in one of the booby traps."   Tonks stopped eating and shook her fork at Harry.  "Do you know how hard it is to search booby traps when you set them off yourself?" she asked.

"No," said Harry.

"I had to transform into a water spider to get out of the quicksand," explained Tonks.

"I'm glad we didn't see that," said Ron seriously and Harry chuckled, explaining, "Ron's afraid of spiders." Although Ron glared at him, it seemed a better conversation starter than talking about the Riddle House. 

Unfortunately, the adults all wanted to know why they were at the Riddle house in the first place which made for a very uncomfortable supper. Some of the tension was diffused when Molly and Arthur Weasley left, saying they wanted to be home early in case there was any word from Dumbledore about Ginny.

"He knows you're here, Molly," said Sirius, but she just burst into tears again and Arthur wrapped his arms around her and held her until she was calm enough to use the floo.

"I'll come with you," said Percy, "since I'll probably have little enough time tomorrow.  Minister Fudge wants a full contingent of Aurors on standby. You two should come too," said Percy, frowning at the twins. "Mum would like you home."

"We'll be there shortly," said Fred.

"Right," agreed George. "We'll just help clean up."

"Well, no harm done at the Riddle house, I guess," said Tonks as they all moved to help remove the supper dishes, "but where did you get the portkey?"

"I made it," said Harry, ducking a pot that Ron had sailing through the air to the sink. "On the Hogwart's Express."

"Any more surprises for me?" asked Tonks, causing her golden eyebrows to rise right up into her red and green hair and wriggle there like glittering caterpillars.

"No," said Harry with a smile.

"Well, maybe," interrupted Hermione. "Harry promised to show me how to make a portkey and we never have time at school, especially with OWLs this year. I was wondering, could we do magic here, Sirius?  Please?  We did magic at Hogwarts over Christmas break, but, of course, I know we can't in a Muggle house, even though my parents wouldn't mind."

"It isn't a question of your parents minding," said Sirius.  "It's a question of what's the law."

"Oh, Sirius," said Tonks dismissively. "You know we always did magic over the holidays and this place is so warded, no one from the Ministry can see it.  If they do, it's better they see Harry and Hermione than the Order's magic."

"We considered wandless magic," said Harry softly.

"No!"  Sirius boomed, nearly dropping the plates he was levitating.  "You have no idea what you are getting into with wandless magic. It's dangerous. People have died—"

"Never mind," said Harry. "We'll just ask the twins."  He glanced at Fred and George.

"Stop telling everybody!" snapped Fred.

"Not fair," said George. "We didn't even get a change to do things for you to keep you from telling adults."

"You can tell he's an only child," said Fred.

"Well, there's Dudley," disagreed George.

"He's not a child. He's a whale," said Fred.

Ron broke into laughter.

"Who taught you two wandless magic?" glowered Sirius.

"Oh, I don't know wandless magic," said one of the twins pointing at the other. "Just Fred."

"I'm not Fred.  You're Fred!  Quit lying."

"Me?"

"Stop it," roared Sirius, and a deafening silence fell in the room.

"You know, Ginny is the only one who could tell us apart," said the first twin softly.

"Ah Gin—" moaned the second.

"Who taught you?" Sirius demanded again His voice was low and threatening, his jaunty good looks transformed by anger.  He looked like he might curse the both of them if they didn't answer him.

 "No one," said Fred.  "George and I just learned it ourselves."

"That's impossible," said Tonks.

Sirius stared at them, and all of the color drained from his face. Even Tonks looked appalled. "You did it alone?" squeaked Sirius. "You two have to be the luckiest wizards on the face of the planet."

Tonks nodded vigorously, her glittering hair bobbing.

"Wandless magic is forbidden," said Sirius gruffly. "Absolutely No."

"Sirius," said Tonks. 

"Wandless magic is completely off limits," roared Sirius.  He seemed to tower above the twins even though they were both a head taller than Sirius.  In Harry's eyes Sirius looked like some celestial being, bent on bringing justice to the constantly irreverent twins.  He had never seen Sirius like this, and for a moment he glimpsed the Gryffindor Sirius had been before Azkaban wrung him dry.

"Sirius," said Tonks lying a hand on his shoulder.  "You can't do that. You know that the forbidden fruit is always the sweetest."

"Tonks, you know how dangerous it is."

"I do, and that's why you can't just tell them no. How would you have reacted to that sort of ultimatum at their age, Sirius?"

Sirius sighed.  "OK, rule number one, he said, pacing in agitation. "No wandless magic.  Rule number two, in case you decide to disregard rule number one, use the Elementals not your own power.  Rule number three—"

"Wait, wait," said Hermione. "Why not use your own power?"

"Because you get a headache," said the twins together.

"The fragile neural pathways are unable to conduct the concentrated magic needed for a spell," said Tonks.

"What?" asked Ron.

"Your brain cells explode," said Sirius dryly.

"Sirius is essentially correct," said Tonks. "That's why you get a headache."

Hermione gasped.

"Now we know what happened to the two of you," said Ron, giving George a little push.

"This is absolutely _not_ a joke," said Sirius, his dark eyes flashing fire. "And this is not something you are going to grasp in an hour." 

"Sirius is correct," said Tonks.  "It takes years of practice to perfect and control wandless magic."

"The difference between Elemental magic and using your own magic," continued Sirius, "is that you are using your whole body like a wand to conduct the magic," said Sirius. "And the magic is already connected to the Elementals. Essentially it exists in the stream that you need rather than having to string it together like you would if you were using your own power. But just like with a wand, some people and some woods handle certain spells better than others. Which brings us to the third rule."  Tonks joined with Sirius in saying, "Always release the magic completely at the end of your spell."

"Why?" asked Harry.  "More headaches?"

"No," said Fred.

"Worse," said George shuddering.

"Sick as a dog," said Fred.

"Excuse me?" said Sirius with a slight whine.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Harry. "When you were Snuffles at Hogwarts, I think you wanted to tell us something—"

Sirius was frantically shaking his head no, but Harry plunged on, not even looking at him.

"It was about the Chamber of Chains."

Tonks stared at them as if they had suddenly turned into demons.

"What is it?" Harry asked, looking at Tonks.

"Isn't that the room Filch used to hang students from their thumbs in?" she asked.

"That's the one," said Sirius.

"Oh, how awful," said Hermione.

"No, actually, hanging from your thumbs was a blessing. You couldn't touch the walls or floor," said Sirius.  "That room was—well, before Azkaban I thought it was the worst place in the world."

"I remember Mum talking about it as if it was alive," said Tonks.  "She said it sucked away your magic like a leech.  I was scared to death to go to Hogwarts, but it was obliterated before I got to Hogwarts."

"Obliterated?" asked Harry.

"Yes. The room was removed from Hogwarts," said Tonks.  "Headmaster Dippit rarely used it, and after my aunts locked my mother in it, he petitioned the Board of Governors to have the room removed.  It was one thing if a teacher locked a student in for a limited period of time as a punishment and quite another thing if a student found the way in and locked another student in as a prank. My mother had nightmares about it for years. She said you couldn't get out on your own."

Sirius shook his head. "That's not true. I remember Narcissa bragging that she got out."

"Not on her own. She only got out because Aunt Laurel and Aunt Valeriana rescued her, and as far as I know, they were the _only _ones that could break the enchantment," said Tonks.

"No, they weren't," said Harry.  "Samara got out without Dumbledore's help. Well, Draco Malfoy helped her."

"Like mother, like son," muttered Sirius.

"What!" shouted Tonks. "Dumbledore put someone in that room?"

"I know," said Sirius. "I was surprised that Dumbledore locked Samara in there too."

"Surprised?" said Tonks.  "Try horrified…appalled . . . sickened…"

Sirius nodded.  "I know, but I talked to Dumbledore about it. He said it was just a holding room now. There were no longer any terrors within it."

"But with Samara being an Empath, do you think she would have been more sensitive than most witches?" asked Harry.

"No," said Sirius.  "If Headmaster Dumbledore said it's just a holding room now, then it's just a holding room."

"Yes, well," muttered Harry, "Dumbledore admitted to Karkaroff that he didn't know all the secrets of Hogwarts."

++

Over the clink of dishes, Harry heard a sound of a footstep in the hall, and turned, noticing Dumbledore, who looked rather tired and worn.  He pushed his snow-covered hood from his head and dusted some of the ice out of his long white beard.

"Alas, I do not know all the secrets of Hogwarts," said a soft grandfatherly voice, "But Harry, neither do you."  He held his gloved hands together as if warming them.

"Headmaster!" cried Sirius.  "When did you get here?  I didn't hear the door."

"Well, I used a stealth charm to get by your infamous grandmother," Dumbledore admitted with a twinkle in his eye, and then his face became very concerned.  "Sirius, a word, please."

"Certainly, Headmaster."  Sirius glanced at the twins and the trio.  "Why don't you young people go to one of the upstairs rooms until we are finished here.  You can practice the charm you asked about, Hermione."

"Always working," commented Dumbledore, "Even on your holiday.  You know that's why you are a top student, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, sir," said Hermione, her face coloring with a faint blush.  "Well, excuse us."

++

Voldemort was not planning to go Muggle hunting with his Death Eaters. He had intended to remain with his Prophecy children and try to discern which was the true child, but the Mulciber's information couldn't be ignored.  

_Harry Potter at an unprotected Muggle house._

It was an opportunity too good to miss.  Voldemort was trying to decide which Death Eater was loyal enough to sit with Samara while he went to find the Potter brat, when Severus suggested that Virginia Weasley might be enlisted to do the job.

"Good," said Voldemort, "but she will not be at the Apparition point until noon, you will have to fetch her. See to it that she finds her way to Samara and remains there."  Voldemort sighed.  "It's a pity that you can't come with us, Severus, but I have to enlist your help to—monitor the Lestrange twins' activities."

"You want me to babysit," said Severus in a cold voice.  

Voldemort smiled his strange snake smile. "It's not so bad, Severus.  I can't trust the Lestrange twins with any but you or Carman or myself.  Even their mother cannot handle them."

"Somewhere special?" asked Severus.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow, and lifted his head, scenting the air, and studying Severus' face.  It revealed nothing.  He didn't want to believe it, but by eliminating Death Eaters, one by one, Severus loyalty was back into question.  "Perhaps," said Voldemort guardedly.

"Master?" asked Severus, "Is there something else you wanted from me?"

_Your loyalty,_ thought Voldemort, but aloud he said, "Do you think the Weasley girl can be trusted?"

"With attending Samara, yes.  It will be a while before she is capable of taking on larger projects though. Did you have something in mind for her?" he asked innocently.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he touched Snape's face with a long finger. He saw only Severus' understanding that the Weasley girl was repulsed by killing. He knew that already. "Go and get her," he said shortly.

"As you wish, Master," said Snape.  He waited a moment for Voldemort to release the anti-Apparition wards around the Snow Castle and Apparated outside of Hogwarts grounds. 

++

Hermione ushered Harry and Ron out of the room away from Sirius and Dumbledore.  When they reached the top of the stairs, they found the twins who already had their extendable ears out.

"I think they put up a silencing charm," said George.

"You're right," said Fred. "Do you think we can break it?"

"Break the Headmaster's silencing charm?  Are you mad," intoned George.

"Yep," said Fred with a grin.

"I'll work on it," said George.  

"We might as well work on that portkey," said Hermione, hurrying into an adjacent room.

"But don't you want to know what Dumbledore is here for?" asked Ron.

"Probably just sharing Christmas cheer," said Hermione. "If he wanted us to know, he would have told us."

"No one tells us anything, Hermione," grumbled Harry.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it, is there?" said Hermione. "But we _can_ work on this portkey."

"Ok," said Harry, "What should we use?"

Both glanced around the room, looking for innocuous objects. "There's not much here," said Hermione. "Let's try another room." They went into the next room which was still dusty and cluttered with junk.  

Ron picked up one of several candy wrappers from the bureau. "This?" he wondered.  

"I don't think so," said Hermione. "That's a Muggle candy.  Malfoy wouldn't have that in his house."

"How about this?" said Harry, holding up a small vial that looked like it contained a small amount of dry blood.

"Yuk," said Hermione. "Where did you find that?"

"Under the bed," said Harry.

"Ok, that should do. Let's rinse the blood out," said Hermione.

"Why?" said Ron. "At Malfoy's house it's probably more realistic with the blood in it."

Harry shrugged, but they ended up following Hermione's advice and trying to clean out the blood.  **_"Pergo!"_** said Harry, pointing his wand directly at the glass, but most of the blood stayed inside anyway.

"Oh, I guess it's Ok," Hermione said at last, and Harry pointed his wand at the item to begin his work on the portkey.

"Hey, wait!  Let's see how fast you are," Hermione suggested.

"Ok," said Harry, brushing the hair out of his eyes and screwing up his face in concentration. 

The first portkey took him nearly ten minutes to make.  The second time he used a candy wrapper, which was faster at six minutes, but the third try, with another candy wrapper, took seven minutes.

"You have to practice this," said Hermione as she studiously ripped the unnecessary portkeys into tiny pieces. "You need to consistently be under five minutes to be as safe as you can be at the Snow Castle."

"That's assuming Malfoy doesn't just give you to You-Know-Who," said Ron. "I really don't like this plan."

"I can do it fine," said Harry.  "I work better under pressure anyway.  Let's go see how the twins are getting on with their extendable ears."

"No," insisted Hermione.  "You need to practice this, Harry."

"I need a break," said Harry, walking over to Fred and George.

Hermione and Ron followed him, but Harry could hear Hermione grumbling under her breath about his taking unnecessary risks.

++

"How's it going?" asked Ron.

"Slowly," said Fred. "Dumbledore put up a silencing ward."

"Got it. Listen."  George passed his extendable ears to Fred, who listened for a moment, a grin spreading across his face.

"I know. I'm a genius," said George with a slight smirk

"Sh-h-h!" admonished Fred.  

"Well, what are they saying?" asked Ron impatiently.  

"You won't hear anything good eavesdropping," said Hermione refusing to put the ears on.

Harry, on the other hand, had already taken his and was listening intently.  It took him a moment to understand what they were talking about—something about Muggles—

"Do your parents go to church?" Ron asked Hermione.  

"Not always," said Hermione, "But usually on Christmas and Easter."

Ron's face went totally white. "Not tonight?"

"I don't know if they were going tonight or tomorrow," she said. "Why?"

Ron yanked the ears from his head and put them on hers over her protests.

"Well, the weather is working," said Dumbledore. "Only five Muggle churches so far have been attacked and they were only half full."

"What does that bring the death count to?" asked Sirius.

"Just under four hundred so far," said Dumbledore. "It's better than we expected, but I still think you should convince Harry to stay here tonight.  He might be hard to protect—"

Hermione yanked the extendable ears off of her head, and sprinted back to the room where they made the portkeys.  

"Hermione!" Ron shouted. "Bloody Hell!" And sprinted after her.

The twins were now looking at Harry. "Hermione heard that, didn't she?' asked Fred. 

"You can't go back to her house!" said George, but Harry had already left, following Ron and Hermione.

When Harry entered the room, Ron was entreating Hermione, "Wait!  What are we supposed to tell Sirius and Dumbledore?"

"I don't care," she said, "But I can't leave my parents unprotected."

"But you can't do magic." Ron argued.

"Do you think I'm worried about getting expelled when my parents' lives are in danger?" She pulled her wand and reached for the glass bottle portkey, which was not spelled with a word but only activated by touch.  As soon as her fingers closed around it, she dissolved into nothingness. 

"Harry!"  said Ron frantically. "Where's the other portkey?"

"What portkey?" 

"The one that we used from the Riddle house. The piece of parchment with the ribbon tied around it."

"I left it at Hermione's house," said Harry appalled. "I just assumed Sirius would bring us back."

"Harry!" screeched Ron. "She could have just appeared in a house full of Death Eaters."

"Gimme that candy wrapper," said Harry pulling out his wand.  

"Wait, wait. What are you doing?" said Fred, grabbing hold of Harry's wand arm.

Shesha immediately poked her head out and hissed angrily.

"Bloody hell!" spat Fred, yanking his hand off of Harry.  "When did you get a snake?"

"You can't leave," said George. "What are we going to tell Sirius?"

"And Dumbledore?" added Fred.

"You'll think of something," said Ron "You're a genius, remember?  Hurry, Harry.  Hurry," muttered Ron looking at his watch.  "Three minutes….four min—"

Harry thrust the newly made portkey under Ron's hand and immediately Harry felt the tug behind his navel.  They left Fred and George complaining behind them. 

   ==   

Answers to the Reviewers 

First of all, thank you to all who read and reviewed.  You keep me motivated to continue writing when the plot eludes me.  You are very important to this story.  THANKS!

Sky:  I like the part where Draco removed Garrett's mouth too, and the comment—you're where Samara got that spell!  Remember Samara?  She'll be back soon.

Tiamat Warcraft:  I've always found hitting a computer with a hammer is a satisfying experience.  Please keep that in mind when I'm late updating.  "Great one"  I like that.  Author smirks.  Math?  Yes, I think it's another form of curcious.

Kayleigh:  Thanks

Harpy:  Samara's brothers didn't react to the Imperio because squibs and muggles have no way to fight it.  See:  THE SEVENTH SUFFERING in THE SEERS TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING.  For information about Edward's harpy feather wand, see BETRAYED BY WAND AND BLOOD, also in  THE SEERS TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING.  

Trillium:  Tell sis happy B-day.  Glad you like.

Black Skylark:  Volde/Ginny?  VOLDE??/Ginny.  Are you crazy?  I work so hard to make Volde totally disgusting and you LIKE HIM!  What am I going to do with you? Lol.

Jager:  Here's more.

Raven173:  What Draco in JK's  OOTP?  I missed him too.  Sniff.  They PITY VOLDE?  Honestly people, what do I have to do to make you realize he's the BAD GUY!  Lol  ok  I admit.  He's fun to write.

Emma-Trelawney  Real action on the way.  Of course, I think there has BEEN SOME REAL ACTION.

FUZ  Glad you like

Kemenran:  More on the way

WesleyPeppers:  Glad you like Garrett.  Won't be killing Draco any time soon.  Sorry.  I like him.

Reiven:  Glad you approve of my Draco.  I love him too. If the readers slow down a little I'll have time to read your story. I always like to read your reviews. It balances Ennui's reactions to Draco.  Some cool Snape stuff on the way too.

Silverfox1:  Love your reviews and also your answers to Ennui's questions.  Always insightful.

Anon:  Glad you went back and read the first fic.  To those of you who are still trying to read this without reading the first fic, you might want to do it now.  The next chapter is going to be mighty confusing, if you haven't read the first fic.  Now's the time to read THE SEERS TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING.

The Elemental Sorceress:  Glad you like the basilisk.  More snakes to come

Ennui deMorte:  Love your reviews.  Love your wonderful betaing too.  If you haven't read Ennui's brand new fic, go read it.  It's awesome.

I KNOW.  I LEFT YOU WITH AN AWFUL CLIFF HANGER.  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, REVIEW.  15 REVIEWS GETS THE NEXT CHAPTER.

After you review, please come and visit us at yahoo groups.  W-groups.yahoo DOT com/group/The_Seers_Truth

LADY LESTRANGE


	9. CH 9: Misused Magic

THE SEERS' TRUTH:  BEYOND THE DARKNESS

By Lady Lestrange

Chapter 9

Misused Magic

**15 Reviews**:  I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin.  It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear.  Love my readers and reviewers.  Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer:**  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  No money is made from this fanfic.  Thanks JK.

For further discussion, visit 

_Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte_

Ok, here are the notes to help everyone understand what is going on:

{.} -       Parseltongue

[.]  -        Mindspeak

_Italics_ -     Thoughts

And the different page breaks:

+++           Changes in Points of View in Samara's head and Environments.

++     Change in realities: Going from playing in Samara's head to the Real World.

                  The next page break is the Beginning/End of the Story:

+++

Samara wondered if she was still in the Chamber of Forever. She continued to feel the power of the Elementals around her and through her. They were too powerful.  She felt pulled apart by them. _Was this what it was like to splinch?_ She remembered an Apparition. No. It was a portkey.   

_Was she a ghost?_ She wondered. She seemed to be fluid, made of air and water instead of flesh and blood.  _Perhaps_, she thought, _she could understand better if her feet were connected to the earth._ She searched for it, but felt only fire coursing through her, dripping from her, she was reminded of someone. _Someone in the fire.__  A dragon._ She couldn't focus. Couldn't remember. She closed her eyes against the pain. _Did she have eyes,_ she wondered.  _Why could she see nothing but a purple haze in front of her?_  Thick purple fog like cobwebs of magic obscured everything.

Someone. Something touched her face. She sensed power there and it frightened her.  She ran into the fog and suddenly she was in a forest, running and colliding with an old man.  She ran through him.  _She must be a ghost_, she thought.  _Or he was. Had she died? No not through him, into him, becoming him._  His magic was familiar.

"Harry?" she thought.

+++

Deep in the Forest of Forever, Meridius stood and looked at the night sky.  The moons were rising.  He waited until both of the moons hung full and lustrous in the sky.  It wasn't often that both were full on the same night, but tonight, for the first time in nine years, that monumental event was taking place. On this, the most magic of nights, Meridius planned to bring to fruition a lifetime of work-several lifetimes, actually.  

He knew the magic would be costly.  He knew he would lose his sight and his hearing, perhaps other senses as well, for great magic was never without great cost.  He counted the losses well spent.  After all, once he opened the gateway to other worlds, he could enter the other realities and he would have all of his senses there.

_If it worked._  Bah-of course it would work. Wasn't he hailed as the most intelligent of all the sorcerers?  Yes, when the others were stumped they always came to him, and he could ferret out the answer to any problem. Meridius' hand shook a little with unaccustomed excitement as he stirred the potion with his wand. He would be known as the greatest sorcerer of all time. History would remember him forever, and he had an unquenchable thirst to prove himself.

The potion, a bright neon green, was nearly ready.  It only needed the last four ingredients.  He had searched a lifetime through time and space for those ingredients.   And his father had searched before him, dying at the base of Mount Ignatious, when he failed the Fire's test.  

Before him, the old sorcerer laid the items: **The yellow pearl** from the oyster of tomorrow, signifying his oneness with the _water elemental_, and transcendence of time. **The invisible butterfly** that lived at the center of the whirlwind, the sylph, signifying his connection with the _air elemental_, and his ability to see beyond the physical. **The creation loam**, translucent _dirt_ from which legend said The People were made, the creative force of the universe. And finally, **the living rock**, which was taken from the base of Mount Ignatious, where the _fires_ never ceased to burn, signifying passion. 

Every element: **Water**, **Air**, **Land** and **Fire** were represented in the items. The last of them was **Spirit**, represented by the old man himself. He was nearly ready.

He began to bring himself to a state of Spiritual readiness while the potion bubbled and popped.  _Only moments now_, he thought.  _Moments to prepare himself_.  He emptied himself any feeling of doubt or greed.  In his mind's eye, he embraced all the People and all of the creatures.  He felt his oneness with them, and pulled the cauldron from the fire.  

After waiting a total of three blinks of the eye, he dropped **the pearl** into the potion, thinking of all of the sea creatures-the merfolk and the nyads, the sentient plants which lived at the very bottom of the sea-their essence was in him, and he felt his oneness with them.  The potion mellowed to a pale blue and Meridius breathed a sigh of relief-_not that he didn't expect it to work__, he did._  He rarely made mistakes with his potions or his magic.  

Immediately, he held his hands aloft and willed **the butterfly** to come to him from her holding place. When at last she flew between his outstretched hands, he saw her, a bright rainbow splash, between his fingers. Meridius prayed then, for she was a live thing, and he had no right to take her life. It needed to be freely given. Again, he sought oneness with the creatures of the air, the flying equines, and the phoenixes, and the winged monkeys and lions, the gryffins, and bats and birds. A moment later, the butterfly flew directly into the hot potion, and the color changed again to the color of mud, deep rich riverbed mud that grew all sorts of wonders.  

Meridius thrust his hand into the ever-changing and liquid-like **loam**. A handful was all he needed, but it took his concentration and his magic to pull his hand from the loam.  Immediately his fingers wanted to take root and grow, for this was the loam of creation.  This loam was the reason that trees grew and flowers blossomed.  This was the reason that every living creature had sought the female of his kind since the beginning. It was highly addictive. The sorcerer pulled his hand from the loam and dumped the great lump of the soil into the cauldron.  It bubbled madly and when it settled down, it was yellow-orange, the color of flame. 

_The Fire Elemental_, he dared not touch.  He reached for his wand and levitated the lump of **volcanic rock**.  It was still smoking and steaming for a thing like that would never give up its nature, except by magic, for its nature was the Fire Elemental.  He dropped it into the cauldron and ironically, the potion immediately cooled.  It was a thick viscous mixture and it was blood red.

Meridius looked at it for a moment.  This was the moment he had been waiting for his whole lifetime. Suddenly, he did not want to do this alone.  He wanted a witness for his triumph, but his son was dead, killed by a magical accident that was so stupid it doesn't bear repeating, and his granddaughter, although a dutiful child was not obsessed by magic like her father.  She apparently took after her mother in that regard, a respectable sorceress but not outstanding. The mother preferred to spend her time among the unicorns, of which she was one. The granddaughter inherited the ability to shape shift into a flying equine, but she was afraid of heights and tended to gallop along the ground instead.  Meridius sighed.  Such was his legacy, but now, he would be remembered for this moment.  

He wanted a witness.  He wanted someone to capture his triumph.  He knew his daughter-in-law would not come, and so, he quieted his mind and called for his granddaughter.

++

Voldemort backed away from Samara: his spirit reveling in the days of powerful, wild magic; his body drained by the toll taken by the Elementals.  Sweat poured from him and he leaned his head against her bedcovers, taking a moment to recover himself.  He glanced around the room.  It was quiet and still, only he and Nagini to witness his weakness.

"Oh, no, there you are wrong," whispered the voice of his nemesis.  "I see you.  I know your weakness."

"Only in the Elementals," said Voldemort, "And that weakness is yours too, Tom.  There is nothing you can do."

"Isn't there?" taunted Tom. "Perhaps next time, you will not make it back from the Elementals.  Perhaps you will die there-"

"And you will die with me," said Salazar.

"So be it," said Tom harshly.

"{Master?}" questioned Nagini with concern.

"{I'm fine,}" said Voldemort. "{I was a little deeper this time, harder to get back,}" he panted.  "{But I know now, she is indeed key to the Rift.}"

Nagini brightened. "{Then you understand?}"

"{No,}" said Voldemort. "{Godric kept things from me-secrets-}"

"{Gryffin Dung,}" stated Nagini in a superior tone.

"{Yes,}" said Voldemort, rising and calling a house elf. "Find Draco Malfoy and send him to me."

"{So, is she the prophecy child you seek?}" asked Nagini.

"{Perhaps. That is harder to tell. Such discernment was Helga's gift, not mine.}"

After a moment, Winky reappeared. Voldemort noted with pleasure the reddened scald marks from the dragon blood cleaner which she had used to scrub her skin.  In several places, the elf's own blood had seeped through the damaged skin and scabbed over. She had indeed done a good job at scrubbing herself with the Dragon blood cleaner. "He's not at the Snow Castle, Master-" said the elf.

Voldemort frowned.  He had not told the boy to leave, and yet he could be on some errand for one of his parents, or it could just be the house elf's laziness.  "You are lazy," said Voldemort with narrowed eyes. "Look harder."

The house elf squeaked.  "Winky looked.  Winky finds him.  Shall Winky go to Malfoy Manor?"

"No, just find me another Death Eater." 

Winky Disapparated and appeared almost instantly with Wormtail.

"Where were you Wormtail?  Listening at the door?"

"No. Of course not Master, I was j-just-"

"Nevermind. Give me your arm."

Whimpering, Wormtail held out his left arm and Voldemort pushed up his sleeve. "How is my bunny?" Voldemort asked conversationally before he applied his wand to Wormtail's Mark.  

"F-Fine," stammered Wormtail, and then The Mark burned black and Wormtail's words were lost in his squeak of pain. Voldemort said a single name, "Draco Malfoy."  Voldemort could have, of course, called Draco without the use of his Death Eater, but it took much less energy to use Wormtail's Dark Mark as a conduit of power instead of his own.

Seconds later, Draco Apparated into the room and sank into a low bow.

"My Lord," said Draco. "You wished my presence."

"Where were you?" hissed Voldemort.

"At Knockturn," said Draco innocently. "Selling some blood." 

Voldemort touched him and although Draco spoke the truth, a different thought came to his mind.  Draco was holding a silver diadem the exact color of his hair, a secret device made to block Legilimency. Over and over again the thought was rolling through Draco's mind:  _I didn't buy it.  I could have, but I didn't buy it.  I didn't buy the diadem!  Please, let that mean something to him.  I didn't buy it!"_

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "You deserve to feel my wrath," he said, "but I shall be lenient. You are lucky that you didn't buy it," said Voldemort, releasing him.  "If you had bought it, I would have had to kill you, and that would be such a waste, don't you agree?"

"Yes," said Draco softly, blowing out his breath in relief.

"You have your father's charm and cunning; your mother's power.  You can do great things. You are destined for great things.  I can give them to you. But first, you must do something for me. Understand that I am being patient with you, only because you will need your wits about you for your task."

"What do you wish me to do?" Draco asked carefully, and Voldemort laughed.  

"Don't look so fearful," he said. "It is nothing you won't enjoy. I want you to exercise this bond that you made with my Prophecy Child.  She is taking too long to return to us.  I want her back."

"I don't understand-"

Voldemort's red eyes glistened with mirth. "Do you understand so little of this bond you made with her?  I want you to reach her in the Elementals.  I want you to touch her," he said. "Touch her body. Touch her magic. Make her body a place she wants to return to, a place she desires more than the Elementals in which she is immersed." Voldemort smiled. "If you wish, I could stay an assist you," continued Voldemort, "But I had rather thought my presence might inhibit your-work." 

Voldemort's mirth increased with Draco's anger, and he reached toward Draco, but he didn't even have to touch him.  He felt the thoughts roll up like a wall: anger, mortification, and a fierce protectiveness toward the girl Samara, that protectiveness, Draco immediately tried to hide from him, filling his thoughts with anger instead. Magic rolled from Draco's hands in a spell, and then was sucked back as Draco seemed to realize who he was planning on cursing.

Voldemort reached out lazily and snapped Draco's right arm like a toothpick, the bones jutted through the skin, and blood poured.  Draco fell to his knees a cry on his lips, but the anger was still in his thoughts.

Voldemort conjured a glass container to catch the blood.  After a moment, he said, "Pure wizard blood, not worth as much on the market as Squib blood, but valuable to me nonetheless." As he pocketed the vial, he said, "You are a child.  Never even think of raising your magic against me again.  I could have just as easily broken your neck."

"I know," whispered Draco and Voldemort reached toward him, but the waves of hate emanating from him obscured all of his other thoughts.

"It's dangerous to hate so all-consuming," said Voldemort. "It makes you reckless.  Stupid. I think I shall leave your arm as a reminder to control your temper." Voldemort stopped the bleeding, but did not heal the broken bone. "And here, I had thought you took after your mother in that manner.  Perhaps it is because you care about the girl."  Voldemort's eyes flickered to Samara, and he felt Draco's ire increase, so he turned his gaze to the boy.

Draco looked up, fear in his eyes.

"Oh, yes, I see you're protectiveness of her." Voldemort shook his head, his amusement evident. "You can hide nothing from me now.  You gave up that right, for a few minutes pleasure, you foolish boy."  

Voldemort turned and left the room, locking the door behind him.

++

Samara felt his arms around her. She sensed tears on her cheeks. The smell of blood in the air, and within her body, there was pain, but someone held her close.  She felt his warm magic laced with pain. _Draco__?_  She felt his fear, and yet, there was a strange satisfaction as if he had succeeded in some great feat. The words were whispered in her ear. "Please come back, Samara."  The time stretched endlessly in front of her, and the next words were almost lost in the swirling mists of the Elementals.  "I need you."

"Where are you?" she asked, and the voice changed, floating away from her.  It was no longer her Dragon.  It was Meridius, the wizard in the Elementals.

_"[Granddaughter!]"___

_"[Where are you grandfather?]"_ asked the child, using her mindspeak abilities.

_"[In the __Forever__Forest__, at the Oak Grove.__ Please come.]"_

_"[I will,]"_ she replied. He sensed her moving rather slowly along the ground.

_"[Fly,]"_ said the old man, and he felt rather than heard her sigh.  

_"[Yes, grandfather.]"_

Moments later, a jet-black horse flew into the clearing and landed unceremoniously in front to the sorcerer.  She shifted back into the shape of a woman, with pale white skin and dark black hair that hung like a curling mane to her waist.  She bowed her head, obediently.  "What did you wish, Grandfather?"

"Only that you be a witness."  He picked up the cauldron and poured the blood-red liquid into a drinking glass.

"You know what this is, I presume."  

"The elixir," she whispered.  "You have finished."

"Yes," said Meridius. "Just watch and remember," he said.

"Grandfather, what have you traded for this gift of magic?" she asked.

"My sight and my hearing. I think that, perhaps, it may also take my sense of smell and taste. I hope to hold on to touch, because it will be hard to complete the spell, if I cannot feel the magic in front of me."

"Grandfather, it is too much," protested the girl.

"For the ability to pass between one world and another? Nonsense. The price is acceptable. We will travel together to one of the worlds-you and I.  You will see.  Would you like to experience one of the worlds where there is no magic?"

The girl froze. "No magic," she said appalled. "How do they live?"

"Differently, I suppose," said her grandfather. "Wouldn't you like to see?"

"No," she said backing away.

"Very well, then.  Just observe, so that you can tell your children's children about this moment."

The girl nodded in reply and the old man picked up the cup and downed the red liquid in several long gulps. The magic's effect was immediate and violent.  The man started to shake, and he dropped the container that had held the potion, as the potent mixture, which held the essence of each of the elementals, coursed through him.

"Grandfather!" She cried, snatching his hand in hers to prevent him from falling and then wrapping her arms around shoulders suddenly frail. The magic coursing through him leaked into her and she cried out with the pain and power of it.

Samara recognized what was happening. Shared Magic._  This must not be!_  The old man knew it too.

With effort he brought his attention to his granddaughter.  It would not do for her to realize what the spell was costing him. "Hush," he said, and turning his head toward the sound of her voice, he disentangled himself from her embrace. He was already blind, his sight burned from him the moment he swallowed the potion. 

He raised his hands, and using his own body as a wand, pulled the power of the elements through himself.  His body ached with the strain, and he knew he had to finish the spell quickly or his voice would be lost before he finished.  Then all would be for naught.

_"**Water**," he called, "Which quenches Fire, which wears away the Land, which drags the Air from its heights and makes it heavy with your essence, fill me with your power._

_"**Air**, which blows out the Fire, and scatters the Land, and causes turbulence in the Water with your presence, fill me with your power._

_"**Land**, which smothers the Fire, and muddies the Water and stops the Windwith your mountains, fill me with your power._

_"**Fire**, which dries up the Water, and burns the Land, and fogs the Air, fill me with your power._

_"**Spirit of the Source** whose breath is the Air, whose passion is the Fire, who shapes the Land into living things and whose Water is the life's blood of all, fill me with your power."_

Meridius stood glowing with a great purple light, magic dripping from his fingertips as it had never done before. He was in agony. His ears popping with the pressure of holding the spell, and his throat already as dry as desert sand. The conflicting presences of the elementals were tearing apart his insides. He needed to act quickly, while this frail body sustained its life.  

He raised both hands in front of him and concentrated on the sacred Oak that he knew to be there. He could not see it. He felt the magic leave his body. He did not need to see it to know that the magic had connected with its target.  He did not need to hear the great Oak crack down the middle, but he also did not hear the gasp of fear issued from his granddaughter.

In the very center of the Oak was a purple haze-the doorway to the other world. He felt the magic emanating from it, hot and primordial. He held completely still, willing the magic to obey him, but it had a mind of its own. It sought to open the rift more than he had planned. He felt the magic seeking more energy-energy he did not have. Taste left him, and smell and the ability to stand and control his muscles. Only his mind remained intact. His body was being consumed by the magic.

_"[Get back!]"_  He called to his granddaughter in the mind speak. _"[Fly! Seek the Five Lands and tell them I have opened a rift to another world. Tell them, it must be closed or we shall all die. I shall hold it until they come.]"_

_"[Grandfather!]"___

He sensed her step toward him.

_"[No!]"_ He screamed in the mindspeak. _"[Come no closer.]"_

The girl transformed back into a flying equine, and without looking back, began her mission to reveal this catastrophe to the leaders of the Five Lands. She had barely flown the breath of a butterfly, when a rainbow of color lit the sky and a great explosion rent the air. Bits of earth and fire showered down upon her and within them she felt her grandfather's essence. He was gone, but Samara took up residence within the girl.

After a moment of shock, she began to pray_. "We are born of spirit, but belong to the land.  We hold fire in our hearts and air in our lungs and water in all of our tissues, but we are none of these.  We are sorcerers, meant to live forever within the Elementals.  For a brief while, we have intellect, and then we return to the Source.  _

_"I will remember the past and so learn by it.  I will believe in the future and embrace it, but I will live in the present.  Here and now, I will do my best, and therefore, have no regrets about my life or my death.  I have spoken.  It is so."_

Another voice echoed, _"I have no regrets."_

She glanced down at the purple cloud that was spreading out like a cancer over the land, and she turned, hurrying to the leaders of the Five Lands to tell them of the catastrophe.  Tears coursed down her cheeks as she flew, and deep in her heart, she felt loss.  She felt the loss of her grandfather, and, even more acutely, the loss of the power of the magic she had contained with the old man.  She wanted to stay there, but the old man was pushing her away. _"[Go!]"_ he urged, pushing her away from the power.

_Something?_  Something was taking the magic away.  She fought it.  _The magic was hers!_  She tried to grip it in insubstantial hands, but there was nothing to hold and nothing to gain. There was nothing to cling to. The old man was gone, vanished in the purple smoke.

"Let it go," someone whispered to her. "Don't try to control it. All the magic is just US after all-our magic-joined. It's been inside of us all along. Just feel it, and let it be."

"It hurts," she thought.

"I know it hurts," he whispered as if he understood her. "But it won't last forever, Samara. Come back to me. Leave the Elementals and come back to me and then you can start to heal."

"I can't find you."

"I won't lose you!"  She felt a surge of power, and she knew him. _It was her Dragon._

She followed the heat, searching for the fire in which he existed, but she still couldn't find him.  She whimpered in pain and frustration, and abruptly, the magic was gone. She was in another place, her body a single flame of pain. . . unimaginable. . . .unbearable.

"Samara!"  The panic in the dragon's  voice galvanized her efforts and she plunged straight through the flames, reaching for him, reaching, and for just a moment, she felt his magic brush against hers, and he whispered,  "Dance with me."  Then he was gone, and she was in another place, a desert.

+++

In a desert where there was no magic, called Earth, a youth was running, and Samara was with him in the way magic was within everything.  He was a small boy, but wiry. Samara searched for a word to describe him and she found it.  He was a Muggle.  He had just turned twelve, and if you asked him, he would say he was a man for he had already killed a lion.  Although he wore only a loincloth, sweat was shining on his back, and his muscles were tight with exertion.  The boy's skin was the color of mahogany and his feet were bare.  Slap.  Slap.  Slap.  They sounded upon the hot desert sand and Samara felt the hot, gritty sand in some way, and yet she was not really a part of this world.  

The boy was the messenger of the warlord of the greatest village of the desert.  There had been three of the warlords in his short lifetime, and he had served them all, for he was cunning and strong and valued by those he called master.  Now, he was the servant of the one they called Pharaoh, but if that one fell from power, the boy knew that he would survive, because he was blessed with a keen memory and fluent tongue.  In his blood flowed the legacy of kings. Although he was taken from his homeland and made a slave, he would never forget.  Even now, the message that he had been given was running through his brain.  He would remember it verbatim, and tell it to the opposing leader, if that was likely to keep his skin on his body, but if not, he would change the message to suit his own purposes. _Perhaps this warlord would be strong enough to hold the land._  The youth hoped so. _He liked him._

In the distance the youth saw the shadows of a village where only desert sand should be. He was not concerned.  It was a mirage.  He was used to such things.  He still had quite a ways to go to end his journey, so he slowed a little, pacing himself and pulled his water skin from his waist.  He wet his mouth judiciously and swallowed a little. The water had to last him and if he drank too swiftly, his guts would cramp. He ran on, looking again at the village mirage that seemed to be growing clearer in a mist of purple smoke. He kept his eyes on it now, expecting it to dissolve at any moment, but it did not.

At last, he ran into the heart of the village, wondering if he was going crazy from the sun.  He still fully expected the village to melt into the place where mirages go, but instead, someone grabbed him from behind, and shouted at him in a language he did not know.  Even though he did not understand the language, he understood the words. They were spoken directly into his mind. _"You!__  Boy!  What is this place?"_  The youth froze, frightened of this creature that could invade his thoughts. _"I know you understand.  Answer me,"_ demanded the creature. A wild wind was blowing around the creature, threatening the calm sand.

The youth struggled and the creature easily loosed his hold on the boy.  He ran.  For a few moments the creature followed, but the youth quickly outpaced him.  The youth could run all day and not tire. The creature could not. 

After a while, the youth began to believe that the creature with the skin the color of ivory and eyes as blue as the sky could not have been real.  It was part of the mirage, but he would tell no one that a mirage had attacked him.  They would think he was possessed of demons.  He took another drink of his water, and increased his pace.  It would soon be dark, but he did not have far to go now.  With luck, he could sleep in a tent tonight by the River called Nile.

_Sleep.  Yes, sleep was a good idea,_ thought Samara. She was tired of running. She was tired and it was too hot.  She lay her head against the roughness of the sand and fell asleep Earth, she thought.  _It was safe and steady.  It would do._  The smell of the Earth was pleasant, like flowers and growing things.  

Beside her, lying on the ground was a lavender rose, a forever rose. She reached for it, and closed her hands around thorns. A voice came to her in the Elementals, a voice she knew: _"The same magic that made the Curse, made the Dance." _

_The same magic?_ She thought, confused, but she brought the rose to her face and inhaled its sweet scent. Her body was hot with the foreign magic, yet she could not seem to release it.  She seemed to only be able to absorb the magic and not release it. She was so tired, and so hot, feverish she realized. Her body was aching with the magic. She pushed the pain away, and faced the Elementals again.  

When she awoke, she was in a different place, a different person. The Elementals in which she existed flowed into the new person and, for a while, the pain dulled to an ache. The sound of the ocean slapping against the rocks roared in her ears.  She could smell the salt sea.

+++

She rose and dusted herself off.  She wasn't the type to be thrown from her horse.  She was an excellent rider, for she was the daughter of the Laird and she had been on the back of a horse before she could walk. Her Da took her everywhere with him since her mother had died giving birth to her younger brother. Sadly the boy died too, leaving only her as her Da's heir.  No matter.  She was better than any boy. Even her Da had said so, but she saw the longing for a son in his eyes, especially when some of the men asked for her hand in marriage just so they could hold the land.   

She sighed, stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled for her mount.  He didn't come.  Being a stallion, he was a fickle thing, and only came when it suited him, but no matter.  There was the house of McKinnon to the east, and if she was lucky she would come upon her horse in the meantime.  

She began to walk. The heather was dry and crackled beneath her feet, but the fog ahead promised some moisture at least. As she walked, her eyes settled on the fog and she slowed.  It was no natural fog. It was a strange purple color and thick as molasses.  Ahead of her should be McKinnon house, but she saw nothing but the fog.  

She kept walking, now taking herself in a circle, thinking that perhaps she got a little off track. _The moor could do that to you._  Still, she found no house, but there, standing amidst a strange array of stones, each set on their edge, she found her horse. He was grazing silently among the stones.  

"Ha! You're a devil I think, ya ken?" she asked, as she caught him, but he gazed silently at her, totally content in the dark, among the stones. "Ya dinna think I would trade ya in on a docile mare? We could keep her belly full o' foal and she'd be dull and slow, not a devil, like ye." 

The stallion lifted his lip and sniffed the air, using flehmen and she laughed. "Oh, ye be thinking that you'd be the one to fill her belly, did ye?" She patted him affectionately and he nipped at her. "Stop that!  I'm not ye mare, ye great oaf," she spat, smacking him, though not hard, because she didn't want him to run from her. He turned back to nibbling the tall grass. 

"Did ye not want to get back to yer warm straw?" she asked, perplexed that the grazing animal was content alone in the dark. "No matter," she said, grabbing his black mane and using one of the strange stones as a mounting block, hauled herself up onto his back.   "Yer here now," she said.  Expertly guiding with her knees, she turned the horse in the direction of her home.  

She must have been lost in the dark, she reasoned.  McKinnon house must have been further toward the sea, but still, _what were those strange stones set in the purple fog?_  When she got home, her Da said he had never seen them.

+++

_Dad?_ Samara heard them arguing again, her mother fun loving and frivolous, her father quick tempered and ambitious. They were a study in opposites, their only common trait being their stubbornness and perhaps their love for their children. 

Both had come to Hogwarts in her dream, traveling in some mad way through the Elementals. _Magic is everywhere,_ said Dumbledore.  _In everyone, even Muggles._  

"In everywhere but your damned torture chamber!" spat Samara and the pain returned.  As she collapsed sobbing, her father shot forward, grabbing Dumbledore by the neck and flinging him from the north tower, but he grew wings and flew away, the snowflakes melting against his white hair and beard and the wind blowing strongly in the window.

"Cassandra!" snarled her father. "Build the fire! It is _you _who must unfog the future!  You must warn the prophecy child!"

Trelawney stood at the window for a moment and then, without shutting the window, turned to the fire and began piling logs upon it. "It must burn," she muttered in an insane voice. "It must burn for the snake.  It must be ready."  

She continued piling the logs onto the fire, and Samara tapped her shoulder.  "{Professor?}" she asked.  "{What must be ready?}"

Trelawney looked around wildly, but didn't answer and as she turned, her robe touched the edge of the hearth and flames leaped to it.  In a moment her robes were burned black and she had transformed into Snape.  

He doused his robes with Elemental water and the dungeon floor was slippery with water and ash.  Harry Potter was sitting in a puddle in front of him._"__If__ you cannot control your magic, Potter, It will control you,"_ he snarled.  "Try again." And Harry Potter disappeared.  Snape looked over his shoulder and spotted Samara watching. "What are you still doing here?" He snapped. "I told you what to do."

"{Sir,}" said Samara hesitantly, "{I don't know how. Can you help me?}" Samara asked again, and it was then she realized she was talking in Parseltongue.

"You do not belong here," said her father, stalking into the dungeon, and she reached for him desperately clawing her way forward.  

"I want to come home!" she wailed.  "Daddy!"  But he melted from the father she knew into another father. 

An oriental man with the same stern face said, "You must go now, my daughter." And she held her head high as she entered the jinrikisha.

+++

She was a dutiful daughter. She was riding in a jinrikisha borne by slaves, and following her was her entourage with her dowry and the men her father had sent to safeguard it.  She didn't fool herself into thinking that the entourage was for her safety.  No, she was quite certain it was for the gold and jewels, which would soon go into her husband's coffers.  

There was no way to escape the marriage, but she had already befouled her vows. The heir born would not be the child of her husband. It would be the child of her lover, a lover she had already swore she would never see again. There was no other way to keep him safe. She would never reveal his existence. She had made that mistake once, revealing her secret to her maid, and now she had corrected that mistake. She pocketed the vial of poison that she had used to kill her maid, the only one who had knowledge of her indiscretion.

"Hime," said one of the guards as he knocked on the door of the jinrikisha. "A storm is coming," he said. "We can see a dense fog in the distance. We beg your permission to seek sanctuary at the Temple. Then we will continue onward to your honorable husband to be in the morning."

"Very well," she agreed. "My maid is ill. Perhaps a night's sleep will revive her." She knew full well that the maid would be dead by morning light."

She leaned back on her cushions and thought. She would have to ply her husband-to-be with drink on their wedding night. _He must not suspect that she was not a virgin.  _If that didn't work, she had several herbs that would confuse his thinking. Deceiving him would be a dangerous business, but it had to be done.  

The tapping came again to the door. "Hime," said the guard worriedly. "The Temple is not here."

"You are lost, you fool!" she accused.

"No, Hime, the Temple should be here, but all that is here is this accursed purple mist.  We must continue on to the palace and your esteemed husband."

She looked out of the jinrikisha into the night. The purple fog blanketed the landscape.  Her mind began working furiously. Perhaps there was some way that she could use this fog to her benefit. Beside her, the maid, with a soft cry, breathed her last.

+++

_Who would be so callus_, thought Samara. _Who would do such things?_  

She was no longer riding. She was walking. _Why? _Why had she lived through so many of their lives, Muggles and Wizards, blended? _That was it_, she thought. _They weren't supposed to be blended, but they were.  Or were the Houses once together and now apart? Yes, that was it.  The Houses were all once together because they were all magical, but now in the Muggle world they were divided-because of the Rift.  It was all because of the Rift.  _ What was she supposed to do about it?

Her feet ached from the travel and she was so tired. She stepped on a sharp rock and cried out, stumbling and falling heavily against the rocks. She realized that she was in another reality.  

She had to walk far to the stream, twice, sometimes three, times a day. It was her job to draw the water, and water was not plentiful in this place. The growing fields were rocky and hard. Her village was poor, often attacked and rarely did they have enough to eat.  As she was kneeling at the water's edge, she felt a cool fog rolling in from the north.  

_Nothing good came from the north_, she thought. She dropped her water jug, cracking it on the sharp stones. She began to run.  Mama would be angry for the loss of the water jug, but she didn't care. She was frightened. She ran with everything she had and behind her the fog settled into the land, warming it and wetting it. A strange liquid-like dirt settled upon the land and instantly, the trees began to grow. Vines and weeds began to grow.  Flowers grew and the fog filled the air making it humid and hard to breathe.  

When she had reached her village, she found them gathered in a small circle brandishing weapons.  They were trying to cut back the forest that had sprung up after the strange rain. It was growing over their entire village. The holy woman called out to the spirits, but none came. It seemed as if they would be swallowed up by the vast forest that had come out of no where.  "The Spirits come to live among us." Called the holy woman.  "We shall be swallowed up by their wrath.  The Raven flies no more."

The vines wrapped around Samara like lengths of devil's snare. She looked for her wand, but couldn't find it. She struggled against it, aware that someone else was nearby, watching her. It unnerved her. _Who is there? Who? _She had a flash of red eyes and then the image faded into the dragon. "We are on the same side," he said as he reached in to her and touched her neck. "You're bleeding-just there-"

She tried to think of a spell to escape. _'Incendio' should do it_, she thought, but he was touching her face and she didn't want to hurt him.  _I'm going to do the spell_ she thought,  _Incendio__!_

"No. I don't think so," the Dragon said. "You're afraid of fire-" 

"Not anymore," she cried. **_"Incendio!" _**and the vines disappeared in a rush of flame. In fact, the whole world disappeared in a rush of flame.

Samara tried to hold on to that Wizarding world, but it sizzled and melted away before her eyes and once again she was a Muggle.

++

It was nearly eleven o'clock when Ginny went to Samara's room.  Draco said nothing when she entered, but he pulled his hand back from Samara's. Ginny pretended not to notice.

"Does she seem to be sleeping easier?" Ginny asked Draco.

"I think so," he agreed. "Perhaps he really did bring her back from the brink of death."

Ginny snorted.

"Don't laugh," said Draco. "He knows more about death than any wizard alive."

  
"I don't doubt that," said Ginny.

A long silence stretched before them, and Ginny wished Draco would leave. After all, she was here now to sit with Samara.  He didn't need to stay any longer.

"I talked to your brother today," Draco said at last.

"My brother?" Ginny repeated.

"Yes.  You do remember them, don't you Weasel?" he snapped.

Ginny just stared at him, tears gathering in her eyes. "Which one?" she asked in amazement. _Why would Draco tell her this?_ She wondered.

"Ron," he said, still looking at Samara. "She has brothers too. Did you know that?"

Ginny nodded, unable to believe that she and Draco were almost having a civil conversation.

"I met two of them," said Draco.  "Too bad they're Squibs. If they were magic, I probably would have liked them."

"Right, Malfoy," said Ginny, her guts twisting as she remembered what day this was and the Muggle killing to come.  "Can't like Muggles or Squibs, though, can you?"

"No," said Draco. After a moment, he stood. "I have to go," he said, pulling his outdoor cloak around himself and gathering his broomstick. He bent and kissed Samara lightly on the lips and then strode purposefully toward the door. He did not look back

Ginny sat for a while longer with Samara, thinking that Draco had left so calmly for a night of Muggle killing. It gave her chills.

She reached out, touching Samara's forehead, brushing the hair back from her face. She was sweating, and her lips were parched. Ginny poured her some water and dripped it into her mouth with her wand.

++

Samara was a Sioux child, a youth.  By moonrise, he would be a Sioux warrior. Today was the ceremony of the Sun Dance. He had eaten nothing. He took his last sip of water.  It tasted cool and sweet on his lips. _It was nearly time now._  His mother was nervously smoothing the hair back from his forehead, as if he were a child. His father was standing proud and still, waiting for the boys.  

There were eight of them. He was the ninth.  His skin quivered as the shaman painted his chest.  He trusted the Shaman, and yet, there was something different inside of him this day.  His eyes glowed with a strange red light, as if he was possessed by a demon. At last the knife was raised. He stared stoically ahead while the cuts were made.  Truthfully, he hardly felt them, just a quick burning.  _Perhaps his spirit animal, the mountain lion, was protecting him this day._

As the shaman threaded the cord from one slit to the other, he revised his opinion. Searing pain coursed through his chest.  He gritted his teeth together.  No one cried out.  He would not be the first.  Finally it was finished and the cords were attached to the mighty oak pole where the others were gathered. As he looked into the blood red eyes of the shaman, he knew something was terribly wrong. 

"You will dance for me," the shaman said softly, drawing his finger down the youth's check, and searing pain exploded in his skull and then everything was still.

Two youths still had to have the cords attached and then the dance began.  He tried to dance.  He tried to forget the pain, but his muscles were crying out for release.  _Perhaps if he broke free quickly?_  He yanked himself hard from the pole and the warriors cheered.  He did not notice.  The searing pain blocked everything from his mind.  One of the women threw him a kiss, but she was pushed roughly back. This was not a woman's ceremony.  

As he danced it started to rain.  It seemed to cool his burning skin, but it also cleared his mind, and truthfully, he wanted his mind as far from his body as he could manage.  He called out to his spirit animal. _Help me to break free_ he called as the rain began to pour.  It was cold.  Thunder and lightening filled the sky.  

"It is an omen of ill fortune," called the Shaman. A thick purple fog followed on the end of the rain and many were huddled in blankets around the Sun Dance Pole watching and murmuring about the unnaturalness of the fog.  

A figure came out of the fog. He stood like a man, but he was taller than a man and his skin was pale as snow, speckled like a sparrow's egg.  His hair hung in long auburn ringlets, loose, like a woman's. He had never seen hair that color, the color of autumn leaves, or fire.  It grew everywhere, around his head and down to his shoulders.  It covered his cheeks and hung below his collar.  The hair on his lip blended into the hair on his chin in a strange combination that made his face look like flames were spouting from it. It even grew on his arms in a fine spray like the sparse grass in mid summer. On his shoulder was a bird made of flame.  

The man raised his hand, and it seemed as if lightening came from his fingertips. As they stood, a single flash of lightening lit the sky, glowing purple and hitting the Sun Dance Pole.  He felt the tingle of the lightening course through his body and he threw himself on the mother earth, tearing his skin loose from the attachment to the Sun Dance Pole.

The pain was everywhere, but the sparrow man put his speckled face against his ear and whispered. "I cannot take you into the Elementals with me.  It is not time. You must stay.  You must repair what is broken. The sparrow seeks the eye of the serpent. You must help her. You must not fail."

"I must help this man," she murmured, but when she turned, he was gone, fluttering away like a butterfly.

"Don't leave me!" Samara panicked, feeling alone and frightened, but the sparrow man had already left her. Only the Shaman remained, red eyed and frightening, pulling her down into pain. She thrust him away and he fell a great distance to lie still on the Earth.

When the youth awoke, he was still in the Shaman's lodge. The Shaman was gently applying a poultice to his wounds and his eyes were no longer red.  He wondered if his trust should lie with the Shaman or the Sparrow.  

"Are the others all braves, now?" he asked in a voice parched with his time in the sun.  

"The others have gone to the Spirit world," said the Shaman. "Only you were spared."

"Why?" he asked, struggling to sit up.

"We do not know the mind of the Great Spirit," said the Shaman. "But I have no doubt that you are destined for great things. Rest and recover."

"What was the purple fog?" he asked. "And the tall man?"

"You saw the Spirit?" asked the Shaman in surprise. "The tall spirit with hair of fire who took the weak ones away."

"Weak?" he muttered.

"Yes. You were the only one to break through the Sun Dance. The others were released from the Sun Dance pole and would have died as children. The Spirit took pity on them, and took them with him to the spirit world."

He closed his eyes. "I will see them again in the spirit world," he said. Outside, the purple fog surrounded the Sioux village.

"No," said the Shaman, painfully gripping her shoulder, and turning her to face him. His eyes were once again red.  The invasion of his magic was like claws on her face. She twisted away from him. "Child, come back with me," he said, his magic threatening to possess her and force her to return.

"Why are you here?" she asked. He seemed foreign in the Elementals, alive in the world of death.

"To learn. To help," he said, but she did not know if she should believe him because he was not like the others in the Elementals. His intentions were bound in a hard knot that she could not penetrate.  He said he wanted to learn, but he had no openness to learning.  He said he wanted to help, but she had no recollection of him helping anyone. 

"I must help this man first," she said, turning to look for the sparrow man, but he was gone. In his stead was a butterfly, and, as she watched, the butterfly transformed into a tall witch with auburn hair that peeked out from her wimple. 

She reminded Samara strangely of Madam Pomfrey, although she looked nothing like the medi-witch.  She spoke in a language that Samara didn't understand at first, an ancient language that sounded like music to Samara.  She wanted to dance. With narrowed eyes she realized what about the woman was similar to Madam Pomfrey: _it was her aura_.  It was a pure emerald green like her eyes.  _I'm seeing auras again!_  Thought Samara excitedly.  _"I'm seeing auras!  The wizarding world is close!_

"Ye shall lie down," she said. "Ye hath come to us through great peril. Where is your grandfather, girl?"

"I don't know," said Samara, then realizing that the medi-witch was speaking of the first wizard, Meridius, she said, "He is dead.  I think-I am dead."

"Nay. He is not, and neither are you. He who hast created the rift shall return and seal it.  I hath seen it. I hath seen the brave children who wilt mend the story. Thou hath seen the width and breadth of the Rift. Thou hath lived in the steps of the Muggles throughout this foreign land. Thou hath lived in the steps of the Wizards who once ruled the five lands. 

"It is time to heal. Sleep now," the witch said, "Anon, thou hast much work to do, child of the house of Raven-My child." Samara had no doubt that the woman was a witch, because, as she leaned down to kiss Samara's forehead, she touched Samara's eyelids with her hand.  She said the word, **_"Somnus,"_** and Samara slept.  

A moment later a phoenix landed on the bedpost, his silvery tears falling onto her face.

++

Ginny had asked Snape to speak to Voldemort for her.  She had wanted this vigil. She had hoped that Samara might wake while she was on watch, and she certainly did not want his other task of killing innocent Muggles. She tried desperately to keep her mind off of the thought of their terrified faces.  She remembered the Roberts family at the Quidditch world cup screaming in terror when they were levitated some thirty feet above the ground.  She needed to think of something else.

"Yes, well, telling yourself not to think of screaming Muggles will hardly work, will it?" asked Tom in a bored voice. "Concentrate on something else, something that takes your attention. You need to learn to do this, Ginny Love or you will be in quite a jam, quite soon. Probably as soon as he touches you."

"I never said I was good at this sort of thing, Tom."

_"You could let me do it," Tom suggested._

"We've discussed this before," Ginny said.

"And did not come to a satisfactory conclusion."

"Satisfactory for who?" asked Ginny.

"Satisfactory for whom," Tom corrected.

"For whom," Ginny snapped.  "You think I give a damn about my grammar."

"Obviously not."

"And I think it's satisfactory!'

_"Then why are you complaining."_

"Oh-h-h!"  Ginny clenched her fists, wishing she could smack him or curse him.

"Now, you are not thinking of the Muggles," said Tom with a chuckle.

"Well I wasn't!  _Now_ I am," said Ginny.  "That was-that was just-mean-reminding me," finished Ginny.

"But you see how it's done," said Tom.

"How what's done?"

"Honestly, Ginny. What were we talking about? Hiding your thoughts from Him, of course."

"Oh," said Ginny softly.

"You need to think of something that consumes you.  The more passionate you are about the predominant thought, the more likely you are to hide the thought you don't want Him to see.  It's quite simple really, especially since you have the Occlumency wards.  You shouldn't have any trouble hiding your thoughts, except those you feel passionate about."

"Which is pretty much everything I want to hide," muttered Ginny.

Tom chuckled. "You worry too much. It will be fine. You'll see. We can do this."

"I wish Samara would wake up," said Ginny.

_"Well, talk to her," suggested Tom. "Tell her you want her to wake up."_

"Like she'll hear me," said Ginny.

"You don't know that she won't hear you," said Tom.

"Oh Samara," Ginny whispered catching her friend's hand.  "We need you to wake up.  I need to talk to you.  Everything has gone wrong."

"Well, not everything," said Tom. "You're still alive. Samara's still alive. Even Beatrice is still alive. You have to be thankful for that."

"Such optimism," said Ginny. "You sound remarkably like my mother."

"Well, since it is Christmas, that should be comforting," said Tom.

"Christmas," said Ginny and burst into tears.

++

The hand Ginny was holding squeezed hers gently.  "Why are you crying?" asked Samara. Her green eyes were bright and looking steadily at her. "Your aura looks like hell," she said.

"Oh Samara!" said Ginny hugging her.  "You're awake."

"Nothing like stating the obvious," intoned Tom.

"Shut up, Tom." Ginny said aloud.

_"Oh fine, Shut up, Tom. You have someone else to talk to, so now I'm supposed to shut up."_

"Sorry. You don't have to shut up." Ginny spoke aloud again, and Samara attempted to pull herself to a sitting position. She swayed dizzily.

"Lay still, Samara. You've been very sick."

"Who were you talking to, Ginny?  Your aura changed color-yellow to blue. Blue to yellow.  I'd forgotten how strange it is when it does that." She looked at her critically, touching the air in front of Ginny's chest. "So clouded," she said. Her eyes took in the strange room. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Oh," said Ginny.  "What do you remember?"

The door banged open and Ginny startled. "I came as soon as I could," said Draco as he strode into the room, bringing with him the smell of smoke and the bottom of his robes were covered with ice. "Snape said I had to stay with my idiot cousins while he checked inside of the Longbottom's house."

"Longbottom?" said Ginny.

"It doesn't matter. Get lost Weasel."

"But He said for me to stay with her," said Ginny.

"Fine. Have it your way," said Draco**.  _"Stupefy!"_**

+++

For further discussion, visit 

--including roast of the author for that dreadful cliffhanger which is still hanging-now that I've added another one.  --Lady Lestrange

Answers to Reviewers:

Thank you to my dear and faithful reviewers.

Katty:  No not evil Harry.  Sorry.

Trillium:  Now the cliffhanger is plural:  Samara, trio and Longbottoms.  Happy?

Black Skylark:  Thanks for the review and welcome.  I hope you read the first book, otherwise you are probably severely confused right now.  

Dragonheart2:  All good points.  I will keep them in mind. Actually, I already have a plan for Harry's basilisk. Thanks for reading, and yes, one of the whole points of both fics is that nothing is totally black and white, or should I say, light and dark?

Garrett:  Yep.  Voldemort is demented.  I love writing him.

Choc:  Missed your earlier reviews.  

Silverfox1:  Why would you think Harry won't need to make a portkey?  I use everything I set up.  I promise you he will use it.  Never put a knife on the table or a wand in the pocket unless you plan on using it, either to cut bread or to kill someone.

Sky:  Glad you enjoyed.  One more cliffy.  Sorry.  Well, not really.  You know us Slytherins are evil that way--  15 reviews gets back to the trio.

Fuz:  Wondering if you are a friend of Garrett's? Glad you like.

Anon:  Another friend of Garrett's  Glad you like

Jager:  Glad you like all my characters.  Thanks for reading.

Ennui deMorte:  Yes, I'm glad someone remembers Samara.  For those of you who are wondering who this chapter is about, please go read the first fic.  And yes, Math is definitely a form of the crucio curse.  

Kemenran:  stunning as always

Dragonheart2: Thanks for reviewing every chapter.  How ambitious you are!  Must be a Slytherin. Welcome! 

Now what are you waiting for, go review.  15 Reviews and we're back with the trio.  Just a warning, better return with your wands drawn.  It's getting hot!

For those of you who are saying what the hell happened in this chapter, I guess that's the 30 percent not Ravenclaws who are reading. I have to have a puzzle to keep the Ravenclaws busy.   You should go to the yahoo group for further discussion.  

--Lady Lestrange


	10. CH 10: Deadly Intent

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

_Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte_  

**15 REVIEWS**:  I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer:**  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this fanfic. Thanks JK.

 For further discussion, visit:

Yahoo groups,  The_Seers_Truth 

w-groups.yahoo(dot)com/group/The_Seers_Truth

**Chapter 10**

**Deadly Intent**

++

Harry and Ron's portkey took them into a place of complete darkness.

Harry peered silently into the darkness, hoping his eyes would adjust and allow him to see at least a few feet in front of him.  He didn't want to use _Lumos_ and have the Ministry of Magic down upon them if there was no danger and it was dark because Hermione's parents were asleep.  

Ron took two steps and collided with a glass table, upsetting several small figurines. The tinkle of broken glass was the only sound.  "Hermione!" called Ron.

"OH!  It's you, Ron. Harry," said Hermione in a hoarse whisper.  "Be quiet. They're here."

"What?" asked Harry. "Why is it dark?"

"I shut off the lights," she whispered.  "They're out on the lawn.  At least three of them.  I heard the Apparitions."

"And three of us," said Ron, raising his wand.

"Don't be stupid," said Hermione. "What about my parents?"

The threesome backed up against the wall, trying to peer between the folds of the heavy draperies. Gripping his wand tightly, Harry said, "Take your parents back to Sirius' house. I still have the portkey." He pulled the golden snitch wing out of his pocket and handed it to Hermione.

"No," she said. Turning to her mum and dad.  "Grip your hands around this and say 'Fawkes.'  It will take you to a safe place."

"Hel---looo!  Harry Potter!" called one of the witches outside.  "If you come out and play, we might leave your Muggle friends alone."

"Or not," giggled another witch, sounding bizarrely playful.

"And leave you here with the intruders?" said her Mum incredulous.  "No."

"This is ridiculous.  I'm calling the police," said her Dad.

"They're Dark wizards," hissed Hermione, grabbing his shirt sleeve. "Calling the police won't do any good.  We have to get out of here, now."

"What was that?" said Ron as something brushed against his leg and he jumped back.

"The cat," said Hermione's Mum. "Crookshanks."

"So let's all go," suggested Harry, as Hermione picked up Crookshanks, and they placed their hands over the portkey together. 

"Fawkes!"

Nothing happened, and Hermione let the cat go while they tried to think of what to do. 

"Damn it.  It's after midnight," swore Harry.  

"Come out.  Come out wherever you are," called a witch, and a swath of flame accompanied the words, setting fire to one of the bushes outside the house.

"Now what?" wondered Ron. "Could you make another portkey, Harry?"

"In the dark?" asked Harry

"Without a wand?" added Hermione.

"I don't think what the Ministry says about underage magic is real important right now, Hermione," spat Ron.

Hermione's Dad pulled away from them and started toward the phone.  He dialed the police.  "Dad!" said Hermione as loud as she dared.  She could see the light from the dial of the phone and edged her way over to him.

"Hermione!  The portkey to the Riddle house," said Harry. "It's upstairs. I'm going to get it. Ward the door."

She nodded.  Harry could see the flames outside reflecting off of her golden brown hair as she moved her head.  While Hermione's Dad gave the information to the police, she tried to get him to come with her.  Whispering frantically to him, Hermione finally dragged him away from the telephone and towards the steps.

Harry had already moved half way up the steps when the door flew open, ripped right off of its hinges by the spell. Ron shoved Hermione's Mum behind him and raised his wand in readiness, but Hermione pushed him down. Harry saw that they were trying to sneak to the stairs in the dark. The shadow of movement on the lawn suggested the possibility of more witches or wizards than they had originally thought.

Harry headed the rest of the way up the stairs as one of the witches obviously ran into the same table that Ron had hit.  The sound of breaking glass and muttered obscenities filling the air as Ron, Hermione and the doctors Granger caught up with him.  

**_"Lumos!"_** called one of the witches, but the dim wand light did not allow them to see very well. Another crash issued as another of the clear glass tables was over turned and someone tripped sprawling in the glass. There was a hiss of someone cut by the glass shards.

_"**Lumos!  Medico!"**_The wandlight was now considerably brighter, but still dimmer than electric lights. "Where are you, Harry Potter?  Why are you hiding like a coward?  What happened to that Gryffindor bravery?" shouted one of the witches.

"Why don't they turn on the lights?" wondered Hermione's Mum.

"Purebloods," said Ron, and Harry mouth hung open in amazement as he realized that Ron was right.  They didn't know _how_ to turn on an electric light switch.  It just didn't occur to them.

Another sound upstairs caught their attention. "Portkey," mouthed Hermione.

"Harry!" screamed a very welcome voice from upstairs.

"Sirius," Harry said and sprinted the rest of the steps two at a time in the dark.

A flash of a spell fired and the room was thrown immediately into light as the white sofa went up in flames. Crookshanks yowled and took cover in the Christmas tree. They heard the rustle of branches as he climbed and then leaped to the upstairs balcony beating them all to the second floor.

A little cry came from Hermione's Mum but they all managed to get upstairs. Sirius thrust the portkey into Harry's hands. "Grab on all," he said, but Harry pulled away.

"You're coming too, aren't you?" Harry asked Sirius as the portkey activated taking Ron, Hermione, and Hermione's parents, along with Crookshanks, to safety.

"Bloody hell," swore Sirius as Tonks Apparated beside them. "You were supposed to go too, Harry!"

"I don't want to leave you here," said Harry. "There are at least two, maybe three of them. We heard two witches—"

"This is my job," said Sirius.  "Not yours."

"It's Ok, Sirius," said Tonks, laying her hand on Sirius'. "Apparate Harry to safety. Send help. I'll keep them here."

"Tonks," said Sirius warningly.

"The brave Harry Potter hiding in the shadows," cooed a feminine voice.  "Tsk. Tsk."

"That's Narcissa," said Sirius.

"Go!" Tonks urged, morphing before Harry's eyes into a nearly perfect replica of himself. She brushed her hair off of her forehead in a gesture much like his own and fired a spell in the direction of their adversary. She called, "Come and get me Death Eater!"

Her spell ricocheted off of Narcissa's shield spell and there was the sound of yet more glass breaking.

Sirius grabbed him around the waist and Apparated.

++

Voldemort Apparated to the house to find it strangely quiet and dark. Only a few Death Eaters guarded Harry Potter, who was standing hand in hand with his two friends, the Mudblood and the Weasley. He thought it strange that Potter would stand between his friends, holding hands, which meant he couldn't reach for his wand with either hand.

The threesome was held hostage by Narcissa and Valeriana. Lucius was still searching for other occupants.

"He's mine," said Voldemort as he strode into the room, he fixed his red eyes on the scene before him.

"You wanted me," said Potter in a strangely feminine voice and Voldemort frowned.

"An interesting trick you have there, Potter," said Voldemort, trying to sense the thoughts of the creature in front of him..

"Oh, I'm not Harry Potter," said the center figure with a strange smirk on its face.

"So who are you?" asked Voldemort still unable to determine exactly what it was he was faced with.

"Before you ask who," said the counterfeit Potter, "You should ask what happened to the real Harry Potter?"

"Very well," agreed Voldemort, narrowing his eyes and trying to discern if the sound of the voice was actually coming from the figure of Harry Potter or one of the other figures or somewhere else entirely. "What happened to the real Harry Potter?"

"Spirited away by that traitor to his name, Sirius Black."

Valeriana sucked in her breath.

The threesome in front of him melted, and changed, coalescing into a black dog, whose tongue hung out of its mouth as if it was smiling at Voldemort.

Voldemort raised his hands in readiness for a spell. "What are you?"

And it shape shifted again.

"And where is Harry Potter," He asked, reaching out, thinking he could venture to touch it. 

This time the morph was a pretty young girl with auburn hair and emerald eyes: Lily Potter. "You won't kill Harry," she said.  "I won't let you."

And Voldemort took a quick step backwards.

"Interesting," noted Lily Potter with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sure Dumbledore would love to have that little piece of information.  Not that it's surprising, really—that you fear Lily.  What does surprise me is that you don't recognize me, since my mother had the same—"

The form of Lily Potter melted as Voldemort's spell flew from his hand, **_"Stupefy!"_**  and missed. 

Voldemort's hands clenched over the magic in anger as he looked around wildly for her.  "She has to still be here," snapped Voldemort.  "She didn't Apparate.  She's something small, like a bug.  Ward the doors!" He screamed at his Death Eaters. "Find her! I want her!"

Narcissa and Valeriana immediately began setting the wards as Lucius brightened his wand to search. 

The scream of Muggle sirens in the distance was completely ignored.  It was not a threat.  Even the pop of several Apparations to the lawn did not pull Voldemort's attention from his goal; his tongue flickered trying to discern her whereabouts. "Alive," he said, his red eyes scanning the floor, searching for movement.

"Master," urged Lucius. "Aurors!  On the lawn.  We have to go." Lucius laid his hand on Voldemort's shoulder. "Sir!" he said. "Sir!  Please!"

"Nymphadora!" he shouted. "You belong with us. Bloody hell!"  He hissed through his teeth. "Nymphadora!"

"Sir! Now!"

**_"Itare Phantasma!"_**

**++**

Ginny was waiting in the Hall to tell Voldemort that Samara was awake, but when he returned to the Snow Castle, he was in a foul mood, and Ginny hesitated.  She wondered if her news might put him in a better mood, but she was afraid to approach him. She wasn't exactly in a good mood herself, her head pounding from Draco's stupefy spell.  

 Death Eaters took one look and skittered out of Voldemort's way. 

_"Let's wait and see_ _what he's angry about, Ginny Love," suggested Tom.  "Stay out of_ _sight and try to tone down the 'hate' thoughts."_

"I'm going to get even with that little ferret," thought Ginny.

_"I'm sure you will," replied Tom calmly.  "Let's focus on the task at hand, shall we?"_

"Ok, Tom."

She backed against the wall and slipped back out into the corridor with several other Death Eaters who had surreptitiously left the Hall when Voldemort arrived. 

"Get Carman," he demanded of the house elf that slunk forward to take his cloak.  "It's rare," he told Lucius who, along with Narcissa, was apparently brave enough to stay within cursing distance. He was pacing the hall with his cape billowing, and Ginny half expected to see flames dripping from his fingertips.

"He has more control than that," said Tom.  "His anger is more likely to come out in a well placed Crucio."

"I know," Ginny agreed.

"Carman was almost certain that Andromeda was a Metamorphmagus," Voldemort continued in an almost conversational tone, "but it doesn't manifest until puberty and then she got pregnant so damned young. Fuckin Muggles."

"It isn't usually inherited," said Valeriana, who had entered the room, but was staying well away from the Dark Lord. "No one would have thought—"

"Andromeda's pregnancy would have caused her talent to go dormant," added Narcissa. "At least temporarily."

"That her child would—" began Voldemort. "Carman!" he roared as she finally came into the room.  "Why didn't you tell me Andromeda's daughter was a Metamorphmagus!"

"I—" Carman was uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

He clapped both of his hands on her cheeks and lifted her physically from the floor. "Tell me you didn't know," he growled.

"I didn't—" said Carman, and his hands around her face began to smoke. "I mean, I wasn't sure—I thought maybe, but—Andromeda wouldn't let me near Tonks."

"Tonks!" screamed Voldemort, thrusting Carman from him. "Don't you ever call her by that foul Muggle name!"

Carman staggered back, rubbing her hands over the welts which had risen on her cheeks.

"She is _your_ granddaughter," said Voldemort, his voice a low growl. "I want her with us—I want—YES!  WHAT IS IT?" he snapped at the Death Eater who stood at the door.

"Master," he said softly.  "It's about Harry Potter.  We can't find him again.  Walden suggested maybe he went back to Privet Drive." 

Voldemort growled with agitation, and the messenger took several steps backwards.

"If he did, we can't touch him—" continued the messenger.

"Torch it," said Voldemort in a low voice.

"Sir?"

"Torch it! Bury it! Destroy the whole damned block! And send the Mark."

"But Master, we won't touch Harry Potter, and they'll just move him."

"Get out!" Voldemort screeched in anger. He paced the room several more times and then seemed to make a decision.  He _Accioed_ his cloak from just behind Ginny, but he didn't notice her.  He threw it hastily around himself. "Valeriana, Narcissa, Lucius, come with me. You too, Carman."

"Yes, Master," said Lucius.

"Where are we going, Master?" asked Valeriana.

"Privet Drive," said Voldemort, and the entire group disappeared in the Apparition.

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief that they were gone.

"But Harry Potter isn't at Privet Drive," said Tom. "And when he comes back he's going to be in a fouler mood."

"Ohh-" groaned Ginny. "Don't tell me that, Tom. Maybe we can talk Samara into going back to sleep."

_"Somnus," suggested Tom._

"Can we do that?" said Ginny hopefully.

_"No.  I was joking."_

++

Privet Drive was asleep under a mantle of ice.  Those who wanted to go to church on this holy Muggle holiday had done so, and those who made it back alive were sleeping in their warm beds, or putting together toys for their children in preparation for Father Christmas' arrival in the morning. Only a few lights were on when the group of wizards arrived. Methodically setting fire to number one Privet Drive, they moved down the block to the next house, and then the next, and the next, killing the Muggles as they fled the burning buildings. A Muggle firefighter unit arrived on the scene and, with a little help from Valeriana, its petrol added to the conflagration. At this point, all of the wizards' ire was strangely spent.

"The Aurors will be here soon," said Carman, doing yet another warming spell on her cloak. "There's no point in your risking being found here, Master."

"Yes," said Voldemort, "I was thinking the same thing." He nodded slowly. "It's the wards discouraging us. We are close. Keep burning."

"Yes, Master," replied Carman, turning back to the fire just as Valeriana raised her hands and spewed Elemental flame at the already burning building. 

"Let's see the Muggles put that out," she laughed.

"It's always a mistake letting Valeriana play with fire," stated Narcissa while she gathered Elemental water, and loosed it on some of the Elemental flames, putting them out. "You're an accident waiting to happen, Valeriana."

"Isn't that what we're supposed to cause?  An accident?" giggled Valeriana.

"A _Muggle_ accident," said Lucius coolly. "They wouldn't have Elemental water to put out your Elemental fire, now would they?"

"But you do," said Valeriana, playfully throwing flames at Lucius.

With cool efficiency Lucius blocked, and through gritted teeth told Narcissa, "She's your sister," and Apparated to the other side of the house.

"How do you put up with him?" Valeriana asked Narcissa. "Does he ever have any fun?"

Narcissa smirked at her sister, but said nothing.

"The Muggles would have trouble putting that out," agreed Carman, spraying the area with Elemental water and then with the use of her wand, pronouncing **_"Incendio!"_** re-igniting the building.

"Where are we going next?" asked Valeriana. "I hope we do another wizard. Muggles are boring. How about the Longbottoms?"

"The Longbottoms are in St. Mungo's," said Narcissa.

"No, no, no. I know that, Narcissa. I put them there. I meant their brat. He lives with his Grandmum, doesn't he? I'd think you'd want to get even for the curse they laid on your family, Sister."

"Draco says he's the stupidest wizard in the school, almost a Squib himself," replied Narcissa. "It's not worth the risk."

"You didn't used to be like this Narcissa."

"Like what?"

"So—so cautious.  So—so Malfoy."

"Perhaps I've grown up."

"Perhaps you've grown old," said Valeriana with a smirk.

And with a wave of her hand, Narcissa put several large warts on the end of her sister's nose. 

 "I'm not as concerned with beauty as you are, Narcissa" said Valeriana, but she still removed the warts rather quickly.

"Do you think we've reached Harry Potter's house?" wondered Carman as she and Voldemort sidled up beside them. The red welts on Carman's cheeks stood out sharply in the cold.

"Perhaps," said Voldemort. "I believe I will talk to the Muggles." Transfiguring himself into a semblance of his old Tom Riddle body, he walked up to a fat Muggle who was shivering with cold, but still nosy enough to stay outside to watch the fire. He stood beside the Muggle for a moment before saying, "Quite a fire, isn't it?"

"Yes," answered the Muggle without looking at him.

"Do you have any idea what started this fire?" he asked.

"Faulty wiring," said the Muggle. "People think their Christmas lights will last forever."  He shook his head. "It's a shame how stupid people are."

"Yes, it is," agreed Voldemort. "So, I imagine you knew these people—your neighbors."  

"Somewhat," agreed the fat Muggle, wiping a meaty hand over his reddened nose and bushy mustache. "Mostly we kept to ourselves. Privacy, you know."

"Indeed," said Voldemort, pulling his wand and toying absently with it. "So which house belongs to the Potter boy?"

"Ah!" the Muggle snorted, "the Potter boy doesn't own a house. Charity that's what keeps a roof over his head—you—" The Muggle gasped, suddenly understanding, and started away, staring at the wand. "You're one of them FREAKS!" He screamed.  "Petunia, get inside."    

But Petunia didn't have time to move. Neither did Vernon. Voldemort raised his wand and pronounced **_"Avada Kadavra!"_** Green fire engulfed his entire hand and Vernon dropped in the street. Voldemort stepped over his body to grasp the skinny woman with his left hand..  

"Where do you live?" Voldemort asked, and he and Lucius followed the woman into the house. He searched the house for Harry Potter, but Harry wasn't there. He had no trouble ascertaining the truth from the Muggle woman. He would have continued to play with her for a while, but the Aurors arrived so he just set fire to the house, and Apparated.

++

"Alas, Harry, I have grievous news," said Albus Dumbledore. "Grievous news." He shook his head sadly, "Your mother's sister and her husband are dead. Killed by Death Eaters this night. I'm so sorry, Harry." Albus gripped his shoulder, and Harry sank silently into the sofa at Sirius' house. "At least Dudley was spared, safe at his school."  Dumbledore's voice faded into the background of Harry's thoughts as he spoke about the devastation on Privet Drive and the Dark Mark hanging in the air above the carnage.. 

_Someone else_, Harry thought, _Someone else dead because of him. NO, not just someone, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon.  He felt like the room was closing in on him, closing off his air, like the closed area of the cupboard.  Never again would he have to stay in the cupboard.  Never again would he have to live at Privet Drive.  A spark of joy flashed through him, immediately squelched by a wave of guilt. He should feel sad. They were his family and they were dead. A tiny voice said he felt sorrier for Ron when he thought Scabbers was dead. Of course, that was when he thought Scabbers was a rat not a Death Eater.  Death Eaters. His mind rushed back to what Dumbledore was saying. The Dursleys were dead.  They were Muggles; they had no chance. They were his family.  And they were dead. Dead because Voldemort wanted him.  If he had been there, perhaps they would be alive. _ "If I had been there," began Harry, but Sirius cut him off.  

"If you had been there, you would be dead too, Harry."

"You don't know that," snapped Harry, the guilt suddenly replaced by anger. "I've faced Voldemort before and survived."

"Harry," said Ron. "They treated you awful—"

"They were my family," snapped Harry. "I didn't want them dead!"  _Sure you did, Harry.  Lots of times you wished them dead. Every time they treated you like a house elf.  Every time they skipped your birthday and locked you in the cupboard and fed Dudley like a king.  You wished them dead.  Not really, _thought Harry_. NOT REALLY__!_

"Of course not, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I blame myself for this," he continued. "We have known for some weeks now that information has been leaking from the Order to the Dark Lord, but I didn't think you or the Durlseys were in danger.  I assumed the wards would hold. They must have been deteriorating over time. I should have been more diligent. The wards would have been somewhat weakened because Harry wasn't there, but still, I don't understand how this could have happened. The protections still should have held. You were visiting Hermione, but as long as you called Privet Drive home—"

"I haven't really called Privet Drive home since I came to Hogwarts," said Harry.  "It's felt less and less like home every time I went back there."

"Ah—" said Dumbledore. "That explains some things."

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Harry. "Why didn't you tell me the wards were tied to my calling that—that place—home—I would have told you—I didn't—"

"They put bars on his windows!" snapped Ron indignantly. "That was supposed to be HOME?"

"The prophecy said your mother's blood would protect you," said Dumbledore.

"Not forever," snapped Harry. "At some point I have to stand alone, protect myself, don't I?"

"Not alone," said Hermione and Ron moved up beside her, nodding his head.  

"Sir?" interrupted Tonks, "Professor Snape is here.  He would—" But Tonks never got a chance to finish her sentence.  

Sirius sucked in his breath with a slight growl as Snape pushed past Tonks to Dumbledore. He strode into the room, his billowing black robes reeking of smoke, and a myriad of small burn holes marring the usually perfect robes. The bottom was wet with ice and slush.  

Even though Snape always wore black robes, Harry somehow knew that these were _the _robes. Death Eater robes. Snape shoved his greasy hair out of his face and announced, "I've brought the Longbottoms. They were attacked. Only the Longbottoms and Harry Potter, perhaps there is something we missed in the prophecy, Albus."

"Perhaps," said Dumbledore rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps." Then Dumbledore looked up.  "Did you—compromise your position?  Saving them?"

"I didn't save them," said Snape. "They were warded in—Mrs. Longbottom is injured.  I have to get back," said Snape. "I'll be missed." 

"And how did you know that Privet Drive was attacked? Were you there too?" snapped Sirius.

"I don't have time for you, Mutt," snarled Snape, and he turned abruptly. Trailing ash and slush, he strode back out of the room."

"That Death Eater scum," spat Sirius. "There's your spy, Albus!"

"Sirius, please," said Dumbledore, but Harry felt he could breath easier now that Snape was gone.

Dumbledore seemed to have forgotten them both.  Dumbledore followed Snape out the door to invite the Longbottoms into the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.. 

"Come on, Harry," said Sirius. "You too," he glanced at Ron and Hermione. "There's a room next to your parents, Hermione. We'll go over there early in the morning and clean up the house before your parents see it. We're authorized to do memory charms on Muggles, but perhaps we should talk about how much your parents should remember."

"Nothing," said Hermione. "If they remember, they won't let me go back to Hogwarts.  They were already talking about pulling me out of school."

"Well, I think you're old enough to make your own decisions, Hermione, but perhaps we should let your parents remember some things."

"Please," said Hermione.

"We'll discuss it in the morning," said Sirius.

"But Neville—" started Hermione.

"Will not be up to conversation tonight," stated Sirius. "Morning is soon enough for you to interrogate him. I'm sure he just needs to sleep right now, and so do you."

"Sirius," said Hermione, offended, but Harry wasn't sure he could handle any more tragedy tonight himself. He needed to do something positive—something for the side of Light and good.  

"Sirius, could I just—" began Harry.

"No!" said Sirius sharply. "You will go to bed and go to sleep if I have to _Somnus_ you myself.  I'm all out of patience with you, Harry.  Leaving the house instead of asking for help!  Putting yourself and your friends in danger!  It's bad enough the attack on Hermione's house confirms Albus' suspicion of a spy within the Order, but now the Longbottoms!  Voldemort is gaining an alarming boldness now that he has his Prophecy child.  I want you safe!  Now, are you going to stay put, Harry, or do I have to ward your door?"

"I just wondered about Hedwig," said Harry softly. "I wanted to see her."  Harry felt another twinge of guilt as he saw Sirius face crumple and he pulled Harry into a rough embrace. He knew Sirius wasn't thinking of the owl post. He just thought Harry wanted to see his pet owl, and bad as Harry felt about deceiving Sirius, he needed to send the portkey to Draco. "I just wondered if she was ok," said Harry. "I hadn't seen her since Hermione's house."

"She's here, with the Order owls," said Sirius.  

"I'd like to see her," insisted Harry.

Sirius nodded. "Of course." Sirius turned back to Ron and Hermione. "Top of the steps, end of the hall," he said. "You're on one side of the corridor Hermione, and Ron on the other. Come on Harry. Let's go see your owl.  Maybe the air will do us both good."

++

After Harry got back to the room he was sharing with Ron, Hermione asked, "You sent the portkey to Draco, didn't you?

"Yeah," said Harry.

"We aren't at my house," said Hermione.

"I know," said Harry. "But we'll be back tomorrow.  That's what I told Draco."

"Harry, are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm ready," said Harry. "More than ready. Did you see Neville?"

"Asleep," said Hermione. "He looked awful—burns."

"So you didn't hear what happened?" asked Harry.

"Of course we did," said Ron, dangling a set of extendable ears in front of Harry. He bit his lip and got quiet. "Death Eaters burned the house down around them," said Ron, "but the ward held.  He couldn't get it up fast enough. Sirius said there was an explosion."

"Is that what happened to his grandmother?" asked Harry.

"No," said Ron. "She was hit with some kind of death spell, but it's slow acting.  She's at St. Mungo's.  Neville said she was awesome. Took down that Valeriana woman before she fell. Then Neville levitated her back inside and did the ward."

"Neville did the ward?" asked Harry.

Ron nodded, "And you won't believe this—"

"What?"

"Neville said Edward was there.  Dumbledore didn't believe him—a Gryffindor setting fires—"

Harry snorted. "Are you sure Neville's asleep?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, Dumbledore gave him some dreamless sleep.  He left some for you too, Harry," said Hermione.

"Are you joking?" asked Harry

++

"Sit down," said Sirius. "Try to relax, Tonks."

"Relax!" she yelled, her hair and eyes rapidly tinting themselves various colors of the rainbow, from fushia to puce to purple and back to it's original blonde. It then began the color changes all over again. "I'm telling you it was Him. You-Know-Who."  If Sirius had looked at her hands he would have realized that her fingers were also changing from claws to flippers to webbed fingers and back again in rapid succession.

"I thought we agreed that the Order would call him by name," said Sirius.

"You didn't see him!" snapped Tonks.

"His name is Voldemort," said Sirius.

"His name is Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore. "Please be seated.  Is there anyone missing?"

"Kingsley is still trying to get in touch with everyone," said Arabella Figg. "We aren't sure if anyone else was attacked after the Longbottoms, and Molly is still with Neville.  I think she wanted to wait until he was asleep.  Arthur hasn't come back from St. Mungo's yet."

"Severus isn't here," noted Sirius dryly.

"Neither are the Scrimgoers," said Bill Weasley. "Oy, Kingsley?  Did you get in touch with the Scrimgoers yet?"  Bill went into the other room to give Kingsley some help with the fire calling.

"Did they find any traces of Voldemort's magic at Hermione's house?" asked Charlie Weasley.

"The Aurors who had Apparated to the scene examined the house for traces of magic. I don't think they found any with his signature," said one of the Aurors.

"He was there," said Tonks shortly.

"Then he didn't do any magic," said another Auror.

"Yes he did," said Tonks. "A _Stupefy_ spell."

"Stupefy?" said a third Auror, confused.

"I'm so sorry, Professor," said Tonks to Dumbledore. "I let him know I'm a Metamorphmagus. He tried to take me with him."

"Why don't you tell us exactly what happened, Tonks." said Dumbledore. "And please, how many times do I have to tell you, call me Albus. We're all in this together."

"Well, I told Sirius to go," said Tonks. "I thought I could hold off my aunts for a few minutes.  My aunts are Narcissa Malfoy and Valeriana Lestrange," said Tonks by way of explanation to the few Aurors who weren't privy to that information. Someone sucked in his breath, but no one interrupted her. "Even if Lucius was with them," continued Tonks, "they were familiar foes. I've known their magic since I was a child. I was sure I could be one step ahead of them, but Lucius used a stealth charm. Stealth! On me! I know stealth, but he was silent as the grave, and I walked right into him. I was so stupid."

"I'm sure that was Lucius' plan," said Dumbledore.

"It was, but I shouldn't have been fooled.  I could have gotten away from them, I think, but He came.  I kept thinking if I could keep Him here long enough, you could catch Him. I used the Metamorphmagus talent.  I didn't think I could get away from Him with just my wand.  I'm kind of clumsy," she admitted sheepishly.

"You did a fine job, Tonks," said Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"No I didn't," said Tonks. "He escaped."

"And He has escaped from older and wiser wizards than you, Tonks," added Arabella Figg, giving Tonks a motherly hug.

"She's right," said Sirius. "Don't worry about it. You couldn't have done anything differently."

Screeching obscenities from the portrait of Mrs. Black heralded the coming of another member of the Order, but the obscenities cut off with a sharp hiss and Severus Snape strode into the room.  He was freshly showered and wore clean robes, but it didn't look like he had bothered to wash his hair.

Sirius listened to the silence in the corridor for a moment and then asked Snape, "What did you do to my grandmother?"

"Oh, I told her I had a potion for removing paint from canvases that I used on a picture of my cousin."

"That's it?" asked Sirius.

"I also told her my cousin thought it was a fun prank to wake me by screaming every morning at precisely four a.m.  Of course, after I painted the potion on the canvas, she screamed all the time. Mother eventually had to burn the painting."

Sirius sniggered, "And my grandmother was gullible enough to believe that story?"

"It's true," said Snape, deadpan, and Sirius stared at him.

"Thank you, Tonks, for relating your tribulations at the Granger house," said Dumbledore. "Is everyone accounted for?"

There was a murmur of conversation as the Aurors and Order members checked around the room to be sure their friends and acquaintances were safe.

"Sirius," whispered Tonks for his ears only, "He knows I'm a Metamorphmagus.  He wants me.  He said, 'Nymphodora, you belong with us.' And then he Apparated, but only because the aurors were coming.   Sirius," said Tonks, the panic starting to show more clearly in her voice and her rapid morphing, "That's what happened to Mum.  Do you remember?  They plagued her to the grave!"

"Oh Merlin," said Sirius. 

"He came this close to touching me!" She held up a thumb and forefinger barely an inch apart.  "You know he's a Legilimens.  That's no match for a Metamorphmagus.  He would have known everything from me.  The Order plans—everything."

"You'll have to tell Dumbledore," said Sirius.

She shook her head, "He's so over-worked—"

But Sirius caught her arm and pulled her away from the others. "Not now," he whispered.  "Later. Dumbledore suspects a spy among us."

"None of these," whispered Tonks, appalled.

"Keep your eyes open," said Sirius, "and don't tell Dumbledore I told you. Only Snape and I know. He hasn't even told Lupin."

"He can't suspect me?" said Tonks.  

"Of course not," said Sirius. "Just be careful who you tell things to.  No amount of polyjuice could duplicate your flickering hair," said Sirus. "You're making me dizzy."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Tonks seriously and then grinned at him, changing her hair suddenly to a dazzling silver that made him squint and blink. "I thought you already were pretty dizzy, Sirius."

Kingsley dashed into the room. "Lupin just called here on the fire call.  Moody is still with him at Privet Drive along with some other Ministry Aurors.  The whole block is still in flames and they're helping to Obliviate the Muggles."

"The Scrimgoers?" asked Dumbledore.

"I still can't get the Scrimgoers," said Kingsley.  "Their fireplace is off."

Bianca said she didn't feel well earlier tonight," Arabella Figg said worriedly. "That's why the Scrimgoers left early.  They should be home."

"I think we should check on them, Albus" stated Kingsley.  "It won't take much to Apparate over to their house and see that they are alright.  After the Longbottoms being attacked—"  Most of the others began nodding their heads in agreement.

"Arabella, you take your group to Privet Drive," said Dumbledore. "Kingsley, your group should go and check on the safety of the Scrimgoers. Be ready for—anything.  Sirius, your group will remain here with Arthur's group since Arthur isn't back from St. Mungo's." Dumbledore frowned. "I believe I will go with you to the Scrimgoers. And Severus, if you would tuck the children into bed, I'd be much obliged. I believe all three of them are on the landing listening to every word we have said."

Snape growled and headed for the stairway as Dumbledore started for the door. On the landing, the trio scrambled to get out of their niche in the wall and into their respective bedrooms and beds.

"Albus," said Sirius softly. "Be careful. We need you." Then Sirius hurried after Snape.  He didn't want the slimy git to kill his godson.

+++

Answers to the Reviewers 

**Elfstoned:**  I will attempt to answer in "mindspeak" since I'm not sure how well you speak English. You learned the language from my friend Yoda, did you?   "More Snape you shall have."

**Harpy**:  Welcome back.  Hope you are over your panic.  Yeah for Hidalgo.

**Garrett:**  Of course I like Volemort.  He's awesome, and don't you forget it.

**Reiven**:  Sorry about your loaded brain.LOL.  That must be why you called Lord Voldemort, voldie-chan.  CHAN?  At least Sama.  No, I think Oni sama.  

Hope you like Sirius better in later chapters.  

**Dragonheart2**:  I know a fellow Slyth when I see one/hear one/feel your magic.  I  knew you weren't a mudblood right through the computer.  Yes, the woman and maid were Asian.

**Fuz**:  OK here were Hermione's parents.

**Silverfox1**:  Do you think the trio are going straight to Volde with Draco looking out for them.  Of course, I wouldn't put it past the Slyth to betray them.  What do you think? 

**Sky**:  "Yes, I will update right now, and reviews be damned. Love Lady Lestrange."  You know that's the first time Lady Lestrange ever signed a note with"love".  Of course, it's all a lie anyway so it doesn't matter.  Muhahaha. 

**Jager:**  Glad you like cryptic.  I hope I didn't scare away too many readers.

**Kemenra**n:  astute as always.

**Lucius Malfoy**:  How on earth did you get that name?  Glad you liked.  As far as noting that I never finished the "fire elemental" in the previous story.  You're right.  It's a "cookie challenge" though on yahoo group  The_Seers_Truth.

w-groups.yahoo(dot) com/group/The_Seers_Truth

so if you'd like to see it, you are welcome to write it.  I've read your other stuff.  You might be just the person to write it—from Draco's point of view.  The story though is PG-13, and I'm sure there are some who think that parts of THIS story are over the edge.  

**Ennui deMorte**  See ennui they didn't tar and feather me.  They grumbled a little, but a little Draco goes along way to keep this crowd happy. Wait till they see my really good Draco chapters.  You know, ennui, the ones that made you sick. Lol  Thank you for your support and betaing.  You help keep me in track and I appreciate you, even tho you don't wuv Draco.

**Katty**:  No sorry.  Harry isn't evil and actually, neither is his basilisk.


	11. CH 11:Secrets of the Serpents

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

Chapter 11 

**Secrets of the Serpents**

Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this fanfic. Thanks

**REVIEWS**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow

For further discussion, see:

Yahoo groups, TheSeersTruth

**For your information, the names and meanings of all of the basilisks** including who is first imprinted to whom.  I call all Basilisks female regardless of the origin of their name, because they are all capable of reproducing.

**Skip down one page to reach the story**.

Imprinted to Harry:  **Shesha**- Indian King of snakes

Imprinted to Ginny: **Visha** Indian Male poison

Imprinted to Samara

**Vasuki**   King serpent that adorns the **neck** of  Shiva-curious and bold

**Tisha** f dim of Patricia noble the smallest.  Friendly and empathetic **Hair/wand**

**Tacita** f Latin To be silent Shy and companion with Tse Samara's **left wrist**

**Tse ** male Native American rock shy. She is gray instead of "rooster colors"

**Sawa**-translate to cobra in Malay curious.  Not terribly smart. **Right wrist**

**Salacia **f L Wife of Neptune: leader intelligent. companion with Vasuki **waist**

**Zila **f shadow  stealth **never in the same place often waist or ankle**

Imprinted to Voldemort

**Zissi **f teutonic free

**Cilicia **f Biblical Which rolls or overturns

**Cush** m Biblical Ethiopians, blackness Named for black color

Thank you to **RavenDarkholm** for the names, Vasuki and Sawa

Thank you to **Terry** for  the names, Zissi and Tisha.

Thank you all who participated in the "Name the Basilisk contest" on group.  For those who are curious, see   w-groups.yahoo(dot)com/group/TheSeersTruth

**Chapter 11**

**Secrets of the Serpents**

****

"Draco!" Samara snapped as she looked at her _stupefied_ friend, and then she paused.

Samara could tell that Draco was agitated as soon as he entered the room. His aura had a lot more murkiness since she had last seen him. "What's happened?" she asked. Samara pushed her straggling hair out of her face, magic crackling in her hands as if she had just used major amounts of Elemental magic and didn't bother to release, but she knew, she had released as much as she could.

He closed his eyes and sat in the chair by her bedside.  "I don't know where to begin," he said. "Why don't you tell me what happened to you while you had that week long sleep instead?"

"A week?" Samara asked incredulous.  "What day is it?"  The magic buzzing in her head seemed to disorient her.  Yes, she was awake, but she realized she was far from well.  She still felt overwhelmed with magic.

"Yes, a week," said Draco.  "Merry Christmas."

She sighed, "It's Christmas?"  She looked at him for a moment.  "Draco, I want to go home," she said.  "I have to be home.  It's Christmas."

He just looked at her, his aura as study in disbelief.  "You don't _have_ to be home. The last Christmas I spent at home was first year," said Draco.

Before Aislinn's death, thought Samara, but she didn't mention Draco's sister.  "_I _need to be home for Christmas," she said.  "Why don't you come with me if you'd rather not be at your house—"   She paused, gathering her thoughts.  "I wish we could stop by Hogwarts.  I got you something, Draco.  A chess set."  She grinned at him.  "I think you'll like it. It's—unique."

Draco accioed a package wrapped in gold paper and handed it to her.  "I don't know if this is the best gift any more," he said.  "It has—Well, you'll see."

She pulled off the paper to reveal a stone granite bowl, protected by a spell to keep it from spilling.   Dragon's were carved along the edge with flecks of pink in the stone where their mouths roared open.  "Oh Draco," she breathed.  "Did you know this pensieve belonged to Morgan le Fey's  grandson?"

Salacia eyed the pensieve and tasted with her tongue.  Samara edged her back away from it.  "(Strange magic,)" Vasuki told the rest of the basilisks, and they were content to let Vasuki and Salacia explore it for all of them.

"Yes," said Draco, as Samara rearranged the basilisk clutch.  "Bradwr leFey.  Mr. Eifion told me.  He had a bit of trouble parting with it.  It's been in his family for centuries.  He made me promise it was going to a good home and it wouldn't be purged.  So if you try to remove any of the memories, I'll probably be cursed."

"Bradwr Eifion was related to Morgan leFey?"

Draco nodded. 

Samara hesitated.  "This was really expensive," she said. "I saw it in Knockturn—"

"I know," Draco interrupted..  "Bradwr Eifion was anxious to get the Malfoy business.  Dad's been going to Borgin and Burkes for years. Mr. Eifion saw an opportunity to ingratiate himself with the next Malfoy generation, and took it. I traded a few artifacts in addition to the money.  Mr. Eifion was happy.  I was happy."  After a moment he added, "Don't look at this alone. It has quite a number of ancient spells on it.  Mr. Eifion said he had a second cousin or great aunt or someone who disappeared.  Some of the family thought she entered it and never came back out, but it could be just a rumor."

"Thank you," said Samara, hugging him.  "I've missed you.  She just held him for a moment enjoying the latent buzz of his magic and the scent of soap and smoke and the outdoors.  Air Elemental, she realized, and perhaps Fire Elemental too.  He had been using wandless magic recently—a lot of it.  She never knew that before just from touching him—being near him.  She pulled back, looking into his stone gray eyes.

"I really want to go home," she said.

He said nothing.  Just reached out and touched a tendril of her hair and the silence stretched before them a little uncomfortably.  About this time, Samara thought, they would normally have been sharing magic or at least kissing, but Draco still sat silently at her bedside.  She would have wondered if he had fallen asleep, except that his aura, bright orange and rolling was definitely not the aura of a sleeping person. 

"No," Draco whispered at last as he shook his head.  "We can't leave here now."

"Draco?" she said softly as he wrapped the tendril of her hair around his finger.  She thought he looked tired.  No, not tired, _spent_, like someone who had used too much magic with too little sleep in too little time.

"He still has your wand, doesn't he?" Draco asked.

"I guess so."  She grinned at him, dripping magic along his fingers  "I don't really need it."

"Yes, you do," Draco countered.  "And you won't get it back," Draco predicted, closing his hand over hers. 

"Then I'll make another one.  A better one."

Draco said nothing, and the silence stretched again, the magic still in their clasped hands. 

"Draco?"

"I guess I've just become accustomed to sitting beside you and thinking," he said.  "I didn't mean to ignore you, not when I've realized how close I came to losing you."  He leaned in and kissed her.

"You smell like smoke," said Samara, not mentioning that she realized that it was magical smoke.   She hesitated. "Draco, why is your aura orange?"

"Orange?  What?" snapped Draco.  "I'm not trying to control anyone. Least of all you, Samara, maybe convince you—you can't--"

"Strongly convince?" Samara suggested raising an eyebrow, thinking that the last time he tried to convince her it was with _imperio_.

"I suppose," said Draco. "It's important—

"It's not important enough to use _imperio_," said Samara.

"I _wasn't_ using _imperio_," snapped Draco, and she felt his magic crackle before he sucked it in, controlling it.  Several of the basilisks lifted their heads, curious about the magic.

"You did before."

"So did you!" shouted Draco, jumping to his feet and starting for the door.

**"Adhere!"** shouted Samara and a rush of Elemental Air blew past Draco, knocking things to the floor and blowing his robes and hair wildly, he started to turn.  Samara expected his feet to be stuck to the floor, but they weren't.  She had missed!  No,  she hadn't, because everything around them was tingling with the Elemental magic.  It just didn't work.  He turned back to her, a sharp retort on his lips, when the magical backlash of the spell hit her like a whirlwind, taking her breath away, just like it had done before she had made her wand.  Like it was before Hogwarts.  Before everything!  She burst out crying.  She could feel it.  She could feel the magic, but it was out of her reach somehow.  She wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed.

Draco stared at her. She wanted him to hold her, but he did nothing. He just stood and looked at her.  "Samara?" he said at last,.  "This isn't like you.  You would as soon curse me as cry.  What are you crying about?  Samara?"  He shuffled from one foot to the other as she cried.  Finally he came and sat on the bed beside her.

"What just happened?" asked Draco putting his hand on hers.

"I don't know.  Since I woke, I feel as if one moment I'm fine and the next I'm caught up in the Chamber of Forever, and I can't control it.  It's disorienting.  I'm feeling—I'm seeing, more than auras now."

"Dance," said Draco.  "It needs movement, not just sound, until you've made it yours again."

"Really?" said Samara.  "Do you think so?"  

"I've been reading.  He has tons of books on this stuff in his library.  He's brought a lot of them here, especially since you didn't look like you were going to wake up any time soon."

"I didn't want to," said Samara.  "It hurt every time I tried to face back to life.  It hurt.  I was happy as part of the Elementals."

"I know," said Draco, softly.  "I'm sorry."

She looked at him.  "He had never told her he was sorry for anything.  He had used _imperious_ and didn't tell her he was sorry!  Now, he was saying he was sorry.  "Why?"

"I told you before, Samara.  I'm not brave.  He told me to use the bond between us to bring you back."  He stood up suddenly and paced away from her.  "I wanted to.  I wanted you back—"  His aura was fluctuating rapidly, darkening with his thoughts.  The sparkles from the recently used wandless magic glittered wildly in the murkiness.

"Draco," Samara interrupted.  "What did he do to you?"

"It was nothing. That's just how he is—"

"What did he do?  _Curcio_?  You know I can't see the holes in your aura from it with Aislinn's protection, but I can certainly see something, an increased murkiness.  Tell me.  How many times did he _curcio_ you?"

Draco shrugged.  Tisha crawled onto his lap and he stroked her absently.

"Shit! Didn't your parents do anything to help you?  I thought they were his _special helpers_.  His high ranking inner circle Death Eaters—"  She paused appalled by what she saw in his aura, the sudden shrinking in defense.  "Them too," she whispered.  "They _crucioed_ you too, didn't they?"

"It's over," he said harshly. "I wanted you back, but it felt wrong to force you.  I had to draw the line somewhere.  It felt like it hurt you."

"It did."

The silence between them deepened, Draco finally speaking,   "And I sat in this chair and I thought, Draco, you are a bloody idiot, you gambled everything for her magic and bloody hell, she's going to die.   How unfair is that!  I wanted to drag your ass back here.  Because I thought, if she dies,  I will be his scapegoat, and a Malfoy's nobody's scapegoat, not even His.  I was so pissed at you, Samara.  I tried to find you in the Elementals, to tell you—to let you know—"

"I know," she said.

"And I couldn't hold on to you.  I couldn't reach you, and I thought where's this bloody bond we're supposed to have?'  _I couldn't reach you_!"  He turned, glaring at her.  _"You lied.  There's no bloody bond!" he shouted._

"Yes, there is," she said.

"Then why couldn't I reach you!"

"You could have," said Samara.  "If you had done it for me, instead of for you—"

"What kind of Hufflepuff garbage is that?" spat Draco, his magic crackling again, and Tisha hissing in excitement.

Samara said nothing.

"Is that why the Weasel could wake you, but I couldn't?" he snapped.

"Is that what the _stupefy_ was about?" Samara asked gently already knowing the answer just by looking at his aura. "Is that what you think?" asked Samara putting her hand on his.  "She didn't wake me, Draco.  The medi-witch sent me back.  She said I have work to do."

"What," asked Draco.

"I don't know, for sure.  I know it has something to do with the Rift between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds."

"The Rift?"

Yes." She shoved her hair back again.  It was tangled and less than clean.   Although the house elves had been charming her clean, it wasn't a permanent substitute for real soap and water.. She didn't want to spar with Draco right now.  She would dearly love a long hot bath right about now.  She didn't want to talk about what the medi-witch had said to her, or anything about the Elementals.  She wanted to _do_ something.  She felt like she had tons of magic pent up inside of her, begging to be released.  She shoved the blankets back and crawled out of the bed, immediately stumbling.

"You're a wreck, you know that?"  Draco said bluntly, as he stretched out an arm to catch her.  His tone was sharp, but his aura was a soft rose.

Samara didn't answer.  What did one say to a comment like that? Especially when his aura was rose. "So what did the medi-witch say you have to do?" Draco asked finally, pulling her back onto his lap.

"I'm not sure."  Samara pushed the hair out of her eyes self-consciously.  She knew she looked a mess.  How could she not?  Draco smiled at her, doing a simple glamour on her.  "Better?" he asked, and Samara nodded, reaching out to him, magic crackling.  "Couldn't stand to look at me, huh?"  She watched his rose aura deepen as she touched him.

"Maybe," said Draco, "but I don't think it's a good idea for Him to see you reeking of Elemental Magic like you are now. The power is so awesome, even I can feel it."

"You're one to talk," said Samara.  "You come in here practically dripping Elemental magic."

"I released," he protested.

"Barely." Said Samara.  "Look at the basilisks wanting to cluster around your magic.  They feel it, and so do I."

"It's not mine they're clustering about," said Draco.  "It's yours.  You are way worse than me."

"Ha!" spat Samara.  "I have an excuse, the Elementals—"

Draco shrugged.   "I was with Ethan and Edward," he said. "Things were a little hot, but you—"

"So what do you suggest?" interrupted Samara with a wry smile.  "What to play Quit?"  She pulled Salacia off of her waist and the basilisk protested until Samara hissed, "(Magic.)"

Draco laughed.  "You're joking right?" He said, but his aura darkened again, a deep rich rose that made her heart beat fast, and she knew he wasn't thinking of Quit.

"No," She giggled pushing Tisha out of Draco's lap and laying her hands, wrists still encased in basilisks over his, teasing, "Let's see how good you really are—" She released a substantial amount of magic through him, and he flung it off, but as it kept coming, he growled, flipping his hands over and grabbing hers, causing her basilisks to hiss, and  letting the magic have full rein.

"You lose," she gasped  "You touched—".

"I don't think so," he whispered, eyes darkening as the magic in them flared and he kissed her, the basilisks all vying for a place near their magic.

==

Harry awoke on Christmas Morning when Hermione pounded on their door.  "Sirius promised we could go back to my house today," she said through the door.  "Please wake up."

"Just how I want to spend my Christmas," muttered Ron, "Cleaning up a Death Eater's mess"  He  looked at Harry's stricken face and grimaced.  "Sorry Mate," he said.  He pulled a shirt on and glanced at Harry.  Deciding that Harry was fine in his pajama bottoms, he flung open the door.  "Merry Christmas, Hermione!" he said kissing her thoroughly

Harry groaned and faced the wall.

"Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione bouncing on the bottom of the bed a moment later.  "Wake up.  It's Christmas."

Grumbling Harry sat up and pulled on a tee shirt. 

"I left your gift at my house," said Hermione.  "yours too Ron,  but I'm suddenly reminded of what is most important in life—the people you care about." She wrapped her arms around both of the boys and hugged.  "and thanks to you, and Sirius and Tonks, my parents and my best friends are safe."

"Thanks, Hermione."  Harry looked up, the tapping of an owl on the window brought him to his feet.  It wasn't Hedwig, not that he would expect her back so soon and it didn't look like a school owl.  Then he realized it was one of the order owls he had seen last night.  He opened the window and the bird dropped a small package into his hand.  The package was addressed to Harry Potter,  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the return address was #4 Privit Drive.  He stood looking at the scrawled lettering and the Muggle stamps on the package for a long time. The Dursley's must have sent it before Christmas.  Of course they did, thought Harry.  They didn't send it last night, and they didn't send it by owl post.  Like at Hogwarts, the Order owls took over from the local Muggle post office at times.  Harry turned the small package over in his hand.  It was relatively light.  It could be anything.   Finally another owl arrived, and Harry tore open the gift from the Dursley's.  It was the two halves of a walnut shell, the walnut already eaten.  The second owl was from Hagrid.  The gift was a book:  The Care and Feeding of Obscure Magical Creatures.  Page 27 through 53 was devoted to the basilisk.

Voldemort sat on a comfortable chair with Nagini at his feet, and a huge fire blazing at his right hand but neither of his spies had fire called to tell him the fate of the Mulcibers, the death eater couple who had been masquerading as the Scrimgoers since the beginning of November.  He frowned. 

Several basilisks crawled over the chair and his arms. A large black cat pouncing with playful intent upon a squeaking rat attracted the basilisk's curiosity and they hissed, talking to one another, but Voldemort ignored them. The only other sound in the room was the sound of pages turning and the soft sobbing of the book that Voldemort was reading.  He had written the book years ago when he lived in the flesh of Salazar Slytherin so he intimately knew its contents, but it did not have the information he needed.  It had only the reference.  _"Meridius,  woeful Raven that hath rent the fabric of the magic, and cast the world of wizards down to the world of muggle.  Before this Rift, the magic could be transferred to another with mutual consent at will."_  Now, Salazar knew, the power needed a Mark, a conduit through which the power could flow.  Silently he mourned how much magic had changed since the early days, and he closed and sealed the book on his lap.  It's chains wrapped around the silver lettering that proclaimed the title:   _MorsMordre._  He needed to review his memory of the Rift.  He was quite sure that was what filled Samara's dreams, but why?  Why?  There were few books written on the subject of the Rift.  Godric had written one, he knew, when they were in fierce competition in their academic pursuits, but Voldemort was quite sure he had only written it to keep up with Salazar.  He doubted that it had any real information regardless to the fact that the hapless Meridian was some ancestor of Godric's.  Of course he also believed Meridius was also an ancestor of Rowenna's, thus the reference to Raven, but Samara thought Raven was a completely different house than Ravenclaw.  None of that, of course, told him about the Rift.

"Millicent!"  Called Voldemort, and the black cat immediately froze with the small rat in her mouth.  "Enough."

She dropped the rat and both transformed into the wizards they were, Millicent into the rather burly dark haired witch and Wormtail into the wheezing bald man with a paunchy belly and skinny legs.  He was dripping sweat and cat spit.  Several long scratches bled through his robes sleeves and one quite deep scratch ran from just above his chin to his neck.

Voldemort examined Wormtail's wounds and healed them. "Wormtail, my friend, when will you learn that if you can transform back into a wizard, you will cause her severe pain if she has your head in her mouth?  Look at you, covered with cat spit from a child. You are a disgrace." 

"I'm sorry, Master," puffed Wormtail.  "May I be excused?"

"No. Remain here."  Said Voldemort, he turned away from Wormtail and then turned back, frowning.  "Is there something you wanted to say?"

"No Master," squeaked Wormtail, bowing and backing away, an image of the captive rabbit animagus in his mind.

"The rabbit will be fine in her cage," said Voldemort.  "You did remember to ward the door?"

"Oh yes, Master.  I'm sure—" he squeaked, his beady eyes darting this way and that.

"Very well, then," said Voldemort shortly.  He turned back to Millicent.   "You are doing much better, Millicent.  You avoided marring his face, this time, but I still expect more control from you."

"May I have my fingernails back, Master?" asked Millicent, holding out her right hand which was missing the center three finger nails, the hand swollen and the ends of the fingers bloody."

"No," said Voldemort, "But I shan't take any more.  You have earned the right to keep what you have."

"Thank you, but Master, it's my right hand.  I can barely grip my wand, and --"

"Ahh-very well.  **Medico!"** 

She breathed a sigh of relief until Voldemort spoke again.  "Millicent, your left hand please."

She said nothing, but her lip trembled as she held out her left hand and closed her eyes. Tears were already starting to come and the half sobbed word, "Pl-Please—" whispered from between her clenched teeth.   Voldemort pulled out her three middle fingernails with torturous precision before sending her on her way.  By then, she was crying too hard to hear his parting words.  "Tomorrow, Millicent, you will begin work with one of _my_ snake animagi.  I believe you are enjoying Wormtail too much.  He fails to challenge you."

"Yes, Master," she sobbed.  "Tomorrow."  And he waved her away.

"I can see why Severus relishes teaching," said Voldemort.  "I could almost believe I am back at my school myself with all the children here. They are so brimming with life, aren't they; Wormtail?"

"Yes," squeaked Wormtail, falling on his knees and kissing Voldemort's robe.  .  "Thank you, Master."

"Get away from me," snapped Voldemort.  "You're filthy."

"I'm sorry, Master."

"What's wrong with you?" asked Voldemort.

"Nothing Master.  I just—nothing—"

Voldemort frowned.  "What are you afraid of?" 

"(Hisssuss!)"  Spoke one of the basilisks on Voldemort's arm.

Wormtail squeaked and just about jumped out of his skin, his darting eyes suddenly looking terribly rat-like.

Voldemort laughed.  "Go!" He ordered.  "Come back to me when you are clean. I want to discuss what you have discovered about the spy.  Oh and send the ferret and the hawk to me."

Salazar asked in parseltongue, "(What do you think, Nagini?  Shall I be a viper or a python today?)"  Being one of the only wizards to be able to manage the transformation to multiple snake animagi, gave him some choices.

"(Bigger is better,)" intoned Nagini.

"(Not always, my friend.  Not always,)" said Voldemort.

When Voldemort was finished with his teaching, he went to visit Samara.  She was awake, and although weak and nearly completely devoid of magic, he was confident she would make a swift recovery.  Virginia Weasley told him the time when she had awakened, and he felt it might be significant that she had awakened at precisely the moment when he first thought of attacking Privit Drive.  He wondered if it had any significance.  He wondered if it was significant that she awoke with Virginia and not with Draco or himself.  He sighed.  It was hard to tell in these matters. 

Samara was now in the large upper bedroom that they had converted into an infirmary of sorts. He thought that she would prefer to have some company while she convalesced.   There were several Death Eaters who had been injured in last night's activities, including Gregory Goyle, who seemed to have a penchant for getting burned, Valeriana who was cursed by Longbottom and a Drumstrang girl who fell off of her broomstick and broke several ribs.  From what he understood her broom was a Firebolt.  What were parents thinking these days, buying such a fast broom for a girl? 

As he entered the room the sound of parseltongue being spoken assaulted his ears.  The cacophony of sound was impossible to understand, but he did make an attempt.  It seemed that Samara had related her tale of her time in the Elementals to the basilisks that she was keeping for him in a story that any child would have found fascinating.  Now, they were now discussing possible explanations with occasional interjections from the Durmstrang girl's snake, Koschei.  Of course, Samara was voicing her opinions just as loudly, and the basilisks were interrupting one another in a most disconcerting manner.

"(I'm telling you,)" Samara said, speaking in parseltongue,  "(It was not the House of Ravenclaw.  It was the House of the Raven, before this distinction of characteristics assigned by the founders of the Hogwart's nest. Before that, all wizards were one.  There was no House distinction.  One nest--)" said Samara gesturing, "(was the wizards, the other nest was the Muggles—"

 "Meridius Barrington was this crazy wizard who thought he could open a doorway to other worlds.  To bring the nests together,)" she said, clasping her hands together in explanation, startling Tacita and Tse, two of the shier basilisks, who were hiding under the blankets, and probably asleep.

"(I do not know this Meridius,)" said Vasuki another of the basilisks.

"(He lived long ago—)" Samara hesitated with the concept of time.  "(Before you were even eggs,)" she hissed.

"(When we were only sissshauss of our mother,)" explained Salacia, the most intelligent of the clutch.

"(Well,)" Samara continued, "(Probably sissshausss of your mother's mother.  Instead of opening a tunnel to a new land of many hisssusss and no sheis, he initiated the spell which caused the Rift to be opened, allowing the Muggle World and the Wizarding World to collide.)"

"(Then a doorway was indeed opened,)" commentedVasuki.  "(To a new nest?)"

"(Yes,)" said Samara. "(But a nest so different, that he nor any of his nestmates could understand.)"

"(Different as water and air?)" added Salacia, who gained her name from the sea serpent wife of Neptune to whom she insisted they were all related.

"(Yes,)" Samara agreed. "(As different as water and air.)"

"(But no hissusss,)" said Sawa.  "(Why would they go where there was no hissusss?)"

"(It was a mistake,)" said Salacia, exasperated with her stupidity.

"(Was he able to devour the death of the others?)" inquired another basilisk from under the blanket.  Samara thought it was Tacita, the shy, silent one.

"(No.)" said Samara.  "(There was no sissshausss.  Nothing good came from this spell either.  He lost his senses of taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell.)"

"(But he could still sense magic, right?)" asked Zila, "(He could always sissshauss magic.  Magic is always.)"

"(No, he devoured nothing.  He died,)" Samara told them.

"(Became sissshauss for another?)" questioned Zila. "(You didn't tell us about sheis)."

"(There was no sheis,)" interrupted Koschei in a superior tone.  "(It was a natural disaster, like when an earthquake caves in a hole.)"

"(Yes,)" agreed Salacia.

"(Similar,)" said Samara.  "(But there this was not a natural thing.  This was caused by a wizard.)"

"(Sissshausss-A-sissshausss?)" asked Tse, finally waking.

"(No,)" said Samara.  "(This was before His time.)"

"(Before?)" asked Zila, confused. "(Time?)"

"(He was an egg,)" said another shortly, and Samara burst out laughing.

"(Salacia!  If he heard you--)" Samara admonished.

"(Oh—)" said Zila finally understanding the concept of time as best she could.

"(So now there are two nests,)" surmised Vasuki, the only basilisk except for Salacia who apparently understood--.

"(Yes,)" said Samara "(and the two should have never been brought together. This hole should have never been created.)"

"(Then the hole must be filled in,)" said Salacia with certainty.

"(It can't be,)" said Samara.  "(It happened a long time ago.)"

"(The sisshauss of the mother is now in the child,)" said Vasuki.  "(It is the same.)"

"(The child will fill in the hole,)" another agreed.  Samara realized it was Tse, speaking from her hiding spot under the blankets.

"(We don't know where the child is,)" said Samara.  "(We don't even know if there is a child—or where the hole is.)"

"(I thought the hole was in your nest,)" said Sawa obviously confused.

"(There were _two nests_,)" explained Salacia once again.

"(So which one has the hole?)" asked Tisha, the smallest..

Samara rubbed her head in frustration.

Voldemort chuckled.  "A noble attempt, young one," he said, "but the basilisks cannot understand.  They know nothing of other worlds. They don't even understand our world."

"Ginny said you had my wand," said Samara hopefully.

"I do," said Voldemort pulling it from his robe.  "You no longer need it."

"I know," she said, aware of how much the Elementals had changed her.  "Actually," she smirked.  "I didn't _need it_ before my jaunt through the Elementals, but I _like_ it."  She held out her hand expectantly and after a moment, Voldemort placed her wand in it, but his aura was filled with orange streaks as if he wanted to convince her to give him the wand.

She held it in her hand for a moment and then put it on her lap while she rearranged her hair to accommodate it. 

"I knew this basilisk," said Voldemort, the orange in his aura mellowing down to a softer color. "She was my first. Her name was Rena." And Samara understood that he was talking about the basilisk whose skin was in her wand.

They talked for quite a while about Voldemort's first basilisk, Rena, and eventually, Samara began to relax.  It was simply too hard to stay on guard for such a long period of time.

"(Rena,)" said Vasuki trying out the name on her tongue.  "(Rena? She is bitemate?)"

That basilisk was nothing but dust in her book when she found it.  It had to be very old.

"(She is dead,)" Samara replied in parseltongue, hissing and joining in their conversation, as the clutch mourned the death of their ancestor.

"(Has she been avenged?)" asked Cush, one of Voldemort's basilisks, for the first time joining the conversation of her bitemates.

"(I don't know,)" Samara answered her, reaching out to stroke the jet black basilisk, but Cush hissed and sidled away as if expecting pain.

"(I brought you here,)" said Voldemort, still speaking in parseltongue, "(so that you would have _wizarding conversation_, not so you would spend your time trying to explain complex wizarding concepts to basilisks.)"

"(We understand,)" protested Salacia.

Samara glanced around at her companions.  Valeriana was staring at the opposite wall, muttering curses, her aura a deep gray-brown., sparkles looking like the static of a muggle television or an over exposed photograph,  but her aura was not as bad as Voldemort's.  At least she still looked human, although holes riddled the entire aura.  Gregory was attempting to eat the chocolate frogs that someone had sent him.   His aura was nothing unusual, a reddish color rather typical of teen age boys, but with streaks of brown and tan, no doubt his aura has some variation because his burns were hurting him.  His mouth was currently filled with a combination of chocolate and orange burn goo, so she guessed he wasn't in too much pain to eat.   Maura was sound asleep, after having been given a pain relieving potion. She looked relaxed, her tan aura streaked with turquoise, although she, like the other two, had the murkiness Samara had learned to associate with the Dark Mark and the sparkles indicating the use of wandless magic.  Samara turned back to Voldemort, her hand gently on Salacia who was wrapped around her waist.   "I think I prefer my basilisks,"  she said.

"_Your_ basilisks?"   questioned Voldemort, his aura flashing oddly as he sat on the edge of her bed and began gently stroking one of the little serpents until it hissed with contentment and Tisha slithered onto his lap, drawn by his magic and his warmth.  I understand completely your dilemma," said Voldemort.  "Perhaps I should leave Nagini with you.  She understands many wizarding concepts and is a worthy conversationalist.

"I couldn't do that," said Samara.  "Nagini is yours."

"So are the basilisks," said Voldemort.

"Oh."  His aura flickered again, trying to gain a color, and Samara was uncertain what he was feeling, but she sensed that he understood more about her than she did about him.  Perhaps he realized that she didn't believe him.   He began to explain that the basilisks had to bite their wizarding master to imprint them to the wizard or witch.  "Have any of them bitten you?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. 

"Oh, if they bit you, you would know," said Voldemort.

"They might have," she said softly thinking of the several times when she was immersed in the Elementals when she was assaulted by pain that seemed to emanate from her body, most notable was when Meridius did the spell which caused the Rift, but that might have been associated with Voldemort's interference. He disrupted the Elementals somehow. There were other moments too, which hurt, when she somehow connected back to this world though Draco, when the stallion nipped her, when she has stumbled against the rocks while getting the water, and when the cuts were made on the Sioux boy, and during the Sundance, but she thought the entire Sundance incident was again adversely colored by Voldemort's interference through the Shaman.  He was what caused the pain there, but there were a number of times when the basilisks could have bitten her, and she would have been unaware of the pain.   She only became aware of the pain in her body, when she ceased to focus on the Elementals, so she might not have felt the bite, but it didn't matter.  She sensed a bond between herself and the serpents regardless to what he said.  Perhaps it was best not to reveal this to Voldemort though.  "You don't know if they bit me," she said.

"You can keep no secrets from me," Voldemort said softly, his aura flashing a soft melon orange. "How do you feel?"  He reached for her cheek and she sidled out of his reach.  Angry orange streaks blasted through his aura.  Well, she understood what that meant!

"Strange," she replied feeling suddenly nervous.  "Like a Muggle.  How soon do you think my magic will return?"  She put her hands together on her lap, trying to keep from picking at her fingernails in her nervousness. She shifted further from him.

"I don't know, a couple of days.  A week at most," he said, lifting his head and scenting her, like some sort of animal.  His aura flashed orange again, and she felt sweat begin, cold and clammy under her armpits and between her breasts.  "We will give it a little while," he said, "and then, there are some things I may be able to do to help."  His hand closed over hers.

Everything in her, screamed, don't_ touch me!_   He lifted his hand away from hers, and surprise showed in his aura as  Vasuki and Salacia both hissed at him not to touch.

She realized that he heard her as well as the basilisks, and she had no explanation for her panic, but she felt supremely thankful that he had removed his hand from hers.  "I—" she began.  "I--Thank you," she said.  "I—I don't like to be touched," she offered by way of explanation.  Still not trusting him, but feeling that she had to depend upon him, she tried to continue the conversation, although she knew from what Snape had told her about legilimens that he definitely heard her shouted thoughts. She tried to change the subjects. "I thought maybe Draco would be by," she said hopefully.

"He has been busy," said Voldemort, the muddy rag of colors that blended to make his aura darkened and pulled closer to his body.  It was a defensive move.  Samara was confused.  Defensive?  Why would he feel defensive against her? Or Draco?

"I see," she answered, still intent upon his aura. "Do you think it would be possible for me to borrow an owl?  I've owled my grandmother every week since I went to Hogwarts.  She's probably worried."

"And what would you tell her?" Voldemort asked. His aura stagnant and frightening.

"Only that I had been sick, which is why I hadn't written earlier and I am now—ah—" she fumbled for a reason that she didn't have.  "Staying at a relative's home—"

"Relative?" said Voldemort his aura flashing a barely noticeable bit of yellow, indicating his curiosity, before it disappeared into the muck.   Samara would have to pay very close attention to catch the subtle color changes amidst the murkiness and too late Samara remembered Draco's admonishment to not let Voldemort know about her muggle parentage or her relationship to him.

"Well, all pure bloods are related somehow, aren't they?" she asked with a wry smile, hoping that by asking a question rather than making a statement, his legilimency would not catch her mistake.

And his strange snake face creased into a smile.  "You will leave your letter unsealed," he said.  "Give it to one of the house elves.  They will take care of it."  The glint of orange in his aura left no doubt that this would not be a private letter.

She felt exceedingly tired and not up to the sparring that was happening between them.

One of the basilisks on her wrist hissed.  She thought it was Sawa.  Sawa liked her right wrist.

"Yes, Sawa," confirmed the basilisk.   "Sleep now.  Sleep and warm."

"I'm sorry," hissed Samara.  "I can't do a warming spell right now.  Before the fever was keeping you warm, and the fever is gone now."

With a quick flick of his wand, Voldemort did a warming spell on her and the basilisks.  "I know they can be quite persistent when they want to be," he said.  "We'll talk later."

He kept Tisha, the smallest and the friendliest, the basilisk that had crawled onto his lap earlier, and the others hissed in agitation at Tisha's absence.

Voldemort crossed the room to Valeriana.  Narcissa had come in and was sitting chatting with her sister about last night's events.

"You can't talk about me getting old," said Narcissa.  "Before Azkaban, you never would have been hit with that spell.  You have to be more careful sister.  It could have just as easily been _Avada_."

"Pfaw!  _Avada_?  From a that old Longbottom?"  Valeriana sipped a smoking green potion.  She grimaced as she swallowed, and held her ribs while she took another larger drink. 

"Well," said Narcissa.  "You used to be able to shield _Testudo_ in a fraction of a second, now—"

"If it had been _Avada, Testudo_ wouldn't have helped, would it?" retorted Valeriana, finally draining the potion glass and picking up a second potion of which was fizzing like blue champagne.

Voldemort laughed softly at their verbal sparring.  It hadn't changed in all the years of  their life.  "You two are just the same as you were years ago," reminisced Voldemort.  "Always competing—unless you were sharing magic—But Laurel could best you both—"

"She could not!" replied Narcissa and Valeriana together, and Voldemort laughed at them once again.

Valeriana grinned.  "Do you know last night reminded me of her?  The Bone's house—the first time—Do you remember sister?  You were there for that, Master, weren't you?"  Valeriana asked Voldemort.

"I don't think so," said Voldemort thoughtfully.

"No, just Laurel," said Narcissa.

"We buried the house," remembered Narcissa.  "I was so tired, I think I slept for a week."

"In Lucius' bed," whispered Valeriana, and Narcissa blushed prettily. 

"And Carman was having fits because of the mud in my sheets," laughed Valeriana.

"That was because you were too stupid to call the house elves, and tell them to take them off--" said Narcissa.

"They should have done it without being told," said Valeriana petulantly.  "Anyway, she wasn't as mad about that as the time I set the sheets on fire."

 "Which time?" asked Narcissa with a frown.

"O-Oh, if I had full magic!  That deserves a curse," said Valeriana.  She grimaced in pain and clutched her ribs as she moved.

"Rest," said Voldemort laying his hand on her face.  "We need your magic back to normal soon, Valeriana.."

"Oh, I'll be back in no time," boasted Valeriana.  "Last time Longbottom did this curse on me, I was down for nearly a week with splinters of bone in every vital organ."  She winced as she shifted herself in the bed.  "But she didn't hit me directly this time. I'll be out by this evening. It's just a few broken bones."

"Good," said Voldemort.  Running his finger across her lips.  "I miss you—"  He let the memories of the last _crucious _session filled her mind so that she would have no illusions of what he wanted from her.

"Not yet," she breathed, fear and excitement warring within her.  "Please—"

"I understand.  I am patient.   Perhaps," he said, bringing his other hand into contact with Narcissa's cheek, and then pushing his hand under her hair, feeling the fine silkiness in his fingers.  She seemed so fragile, as if he could break her with a breath, but he knew better.  She would bend like a willow branch.  She would bend to his will and come right back to herself.  She had done it before.  He felt the quickening pulse in her neck as he spoke.  "Perhaps, your sister would want to take your place, Valeriana."

"Lucius!"  The thought came unbidden to Narcissa's mind. She swallowed, and gathered her wits about her. "Of course, Master," she said aloud, her pale aristocratic skin becoming even paler.  "When?" she whispered.

"You may dine with me," he invited.  "Of course bring Lucius, if you wish.  I have things to attend to now."  He leaned over and brushed Valeriana's cheek with his flickering tongue.  "Get well," he demanded, and then with a rustle of robes turned to leave.

Samara could not help but watch the exchange Voldemort had with Valeriana.  His aura was glowing a bright fluorescent orange as he touched her, and hers, a sickly brown was being torn and tortured simply by his touch, and yet bits of it glowed an almost normal rose.  Then he seemed to see that he was hurting her, and turned to Narcissa, speaking softly.  Narcissa's aura remained unchanged, a pale calm turquoise, only when he left did it flare with anger, boiling red in the same way as Draco's did.

"I hate him,"  Narcisssa said in a low voice than nonetheless carried to the opposite bed where Samara was lying.

"Sh-h-" hissed her sister looking carefully around, assessing Samara and deciding that she was asleep..  "Say no more!" Valeriana demanded.  "You speak death!  Treason!  He is _everything_ we meant him to be."  Her aura was still brown, but lighter, moving playfully into tan. "You just don't want to share Lucius."  She smirked at her sister.

 "I don't," she agreed. "But it's more than that."

"Don't say it," snapped Valeriana.  "I will hear nothing against him. _Nothing_.   He is Salazar Slytherin.  He deserves everything we can give him.  Our loyalty.  Our lives."

"His sadistic magic—" began Narcissa.

"Find _something_ to enjoy in it," insisted Valeriana hotly. 

"In his torture?"  Narcissa was incredulous.

"There is _always_ something to enjoy in magic," said Valeriana.  "You sister, have never been without it."

"No, I haven't," Narcissa said softly, laying her hand on her sister's.  "I'm sorry I upset you.  Let's talk of other things.  Something fun—"

"Last night was fun," agreed Valeriana.  "Even though it would have been better if I had blocked.  It was fun."

"So you agree now.  You should have blocked," teased Narcissa.

"Of course, I should have blocked—or set her on fire—"  Valeriana grinned at her sister.

Narcissa laughed.  "Fire is all you think of!  How many times did you set the house on fire when we were kids?"

"I only did it once," said Valeriana.  "Laurel did it the other times."

"Yeah, but at least Laurel had Elemental water to put it out." Said Narcissa.

"I miss her," sighed Valeriana.  "I missed you both in Azakaban, but now that I've shared magic with you again, I miss our Third.  It makes a difference."

Narcissa nodded, "But you have your sons."

"They don't have enough control yet," said Valeriana.  "They are sloppy.  Reckless. Especially Ethan."

"And I wonder where he gets that from," said Narcissa, and Valeriana hit her with a pillow, since her magic wasn't up to use.

"Anyway, it's not the same as feminine magic," continued Valeriana.  "There is something about three sisters that is special."

"Yes," said Narcissa.  "No one will ever replace Laurel, but is a shame neither of us had daughters."

"Didn't Laurel have a daughter?" asked Valeriana.  "She was a little older than your Draco, wasn't she?"

Narcissa nodded, thoughtfully.

"Avery though--she would have been raised by her father.   Did she get sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"No," said Narcissa.  "Slytherin."

Valeriana brightened, catching her sister's hand in her excitement.  "Then she waits for us, Sister!"

Narcissa laughed.  "Get better, Valeriana, and then we will go and bring her home."

Samara was tired and her eyes were drooping sleepily.  She didn't hear the rest of the sisters' conversation.

"Sleep mistress," hissed Salacia.

"Sleep," urged another.

She hissed her thanks to her basilisks, while worrying about Tisha who Voldemort had taken away from her.  "I just wasn't up to sparring with Voldemort right now.  Thank you for chasing him away."

"He isn't hisssuss," said Vasuki, trying to understand the situation.  "He holds some of our bitemates."

"Nestmates," said Samara. 

"But it is the bite that makes the bond," said Salacia. "Not the nest."

"I know, said Samara, but I don't think bites are very pleasant.

"We know," answered Sawa.  "That is why we bite you very carefully."

"So you did bite me."

"Of course,  otherwise you would not be ours." Said Sawa.

"Is he hissusss and sissshausss or  sheis?" asked Tse, confused. 

"I don't know," said Samara wearily.  "I really don't know."

"Will he bring Tisha back to us?" asked Salacia

"I don't know," answered Samara.  "I'm sure he wants to take you all."

"Is he a bitemate?" asked Zila.

"No," said Samara.  "Just the other I told you about," said Samara.  "the one who holds Visha, and her hisssuss friend.  They are bitemates."

"Yes mistress." 

Samara sighed.  It took quite some time to convince the basilisks that the bunny was a bitemate and not hisssusss.

At last, she slept, and the healing began.

After supper, Ginny decided to go see Samara.  She was walking along the corridor when Visha suddenly hissed, "Sheiss!"

Immediately, Ginny slipped into a side corridor and waited for the sheiss to pass.  She had learned to trust Visha's senses.  They were after all, much more acute than her own and since Visha knew that Ginny preferred to avoid Voldemort whenever possible, those senses came in handy. She had managed to avoid him rather well this past week.

Today, however, it was not Voldemort in the corridor.  It was Pritch and one of his friends, Wylie, the boy Ginny had failed to _crucio _at Durmstrang.  She knew she had made an enemy there.  There were also two Durmstrang students, the hawk animagus and another Ginny didn't know.

"Did you see him sweat?" asked Pritch.

The group laughed.

 "I've never seen anyone sweat so much.  If he would have transformed into his rat animagus, he would have drowned!"

The hawk spat a strange high pitched laugh out and looked in her direction, his amber eyes disconcerting, but thankfully not as keen as when he was in his animagus form.

Ginny didn't move.

"Did you see him search the room?" asked another boy.  "He searched in holes this big!"  He held up his little finger in explanation.  "I can't believe how stupid he is."

"Well, we could have done a shrinking spell," said Wylie.

"So where is it, ?" Pritch asked the hawk.

"I'm not telling.  I got it.  It's mine."

"Just don't eat it," said the other.

"A-kk!" said the hawk, making a series of choking sounds.  "It gives me indigestion just thinking about it!  He coughed several more times.

"Will you quit that?" admonished Pritch.  "You sound like Millicent coughing up a hairball."

"Have you seen her do that?   It's wicked."

"It's disgusting," said Pritch

"Oh come on, Pritch, don't tell me you've never eaten something as a animagus that didn't agree with your wizard stomach?"

"My wizard brain is in control of my animagus' stomach," said Pritch cooly.  "Of course it must be difficult when the animagus has more sense than the wizard—"

There was the hiss of a spell, and then Pritch's laughter, growing softer as they passed down the corridor.  "Missed.  Don't have those hawk reflexes all the time, do you?  or else ferrets are just faster."

"It's alright," said Ginny.  "They were just a couple of the animagus students anyway, not sheiss," she told Visha.

"Sheiss," said Visha.  "Bird is sheis."

"Oh come on now," admonished Ginny.  "He's just a hawk.  It's not like he's a phoenix or something."

Visha immediately slithered under her robe, up her arm to her shoulder.

"Get out of there," laughed Ginny.  "You're tickling my armpit.  Here.  You stay at my neck."  She took the basilisk out of her armpit through the neck of her robe, and settled it around her neck like a choker.  "Stop being such a coward.  You're a Gryffindor basilisk, now," she told Visha.

"Gryffindor?"  said Visha. "Gryffin sheiss too."

"I'll explain later," Ginny told her as they arrived in the Snow Castle infirmary.

"Bitemates!" said Visha excitedly.

Samara was the only one still in the infirmary.  The bright winter sunset was reflecting off of the ice and Ginny had opened the curtains to enjoy the few hours left of sun that the far north afforded them before sitting on one of the wing chairs near her bed.   Visha joined Samara's horde on the bottom of her bed and the basilisks chattered happily for a few minutes before they decided to reacquaint themselves with each other by biting.  At first, Samara tried to stop them, but Ginny just shook her head.  "It's in their nature, Samara.  It isn't going to stop."  Finally they settled down, sleeping peacefully in the sun.

After a while, Ginny broached the subject of Samara's long magical sleep.  "I had a strange dream, said Samara.  I guess it was more like a vision.  No.  That's not right either.  It was an alternate reality.  I was so immersed in the Elementals I could literally become another person."

"Some muggles believe that, you know," said Ginny.  "That you can be born as someone else.  That your soul, waits for a chance—a new body--"

Tom's thought flashed across her mind.  Salazar waiting in the Chamber for a body to possess, and she shivered.

"What is it, Ginny?" asked Samara, reaching toward her.

"Are you more tuned to this aura thing since you woke up, because you seem different somehow. You're not missing a thing."

"I guess I am," said Samara.  "My aura used to be primarily green, a healer's color.  Now it is fraught with indigo and violet, but it's not my insights that have changed it.  It is the insights of the people who I became in the Elementals."  Samara paused thoughtfully.  "You have no idea how strange it is to see something through another's eyes.  To live in someone elses' skin for a while."

_"You'd be surprised," said Tom dryly._   

"Shut up, Tom," Ginny thought "I want to know what she has to say."

Samara squinted her eyes at Ginny's aura as if to see it better, but said nothing else about it.  Instead she began telling Ginny about how she visited every part of the globe in different muggles and how she lived and recognized wizards in the Elementals and finally how the healer had told her to come back to heal this rift thing. Did you know that there used to be two completely separate worlds, muggle and magic?

"I knew that," said Ginny, but they collided a long time ago and now we are one world

"And then this other wizard came. He looked a little like you, but spoke more like Aldwin.  Do you know Aldwin Ogleby? 

"Not really," said Ginny.  "I've seen him around school.  That's all."

"Anyway, this wizard said, I have to help the sparrow find the eye of the serpent.  I don't understand.  Do you know anyone who is a sparrow animagus?"

"No," said Ginny shaking her head. "Just a hawk."

"That wasn't it," said Samara with certainty.

Visha stirred in her sleep trying to wriggle closer to the other basilisks.  She was already almost dead center of the pack.

"Look at her," laughed Ginny.  "She loves coming to visit you.

"I know," said Samara.  "and the others love having her here.  You know," Samara continued.  "I don't think Salazar knows quite how to handle siblings."

Ginny laughed.  "I doubt it," she said.  "He's never had more than one basilisk at a time."

"Never," said Samara.  "Are you sure?"

"Yes," said Ginny "and now each of the basilisks is as imprinted to each other as they are to the wizard handler.  I think maybe more so. Plus, they have three of us to choose from—"

"Not really," said Samara.  "The ones he imprinted are totally his.  Ick!" she shivered.

"What's wrong?" asked Ginny. 

"They just aren't very friendly that's all," answered Samara.  "They want to eat or bite everything in sight."

"Well, that is a basilisk's nature," said Ginny.

"So why are these ones so sweet?" asked Samara. 

"They are sweet to us—to each other," said Ginny, "But you really don't know what they would do if one of us were in danger."

"We should work on that," said Samara suddenly.

"What's that?" asked Ginny.

"(Danger signals,)" replied Samara, switching to parseltongue and Ginny nodded. 

"(I think that's a good idea,)" Ginny said. "(But I really don't think I could ask my basilisk to kill anyone for me.)"

"(Kill mistress' enemies,)" said Salacia raising her head with interest."(And eat their death, Sissshausss!)"

"(Enemies,)" said Ginny thinking that at one time it would have taken some convincing for her to believe she had enemies. 

_"Everyone has enemies," said Tom._

"(I just don't think I could kill them,)" said Ginny.

"(Me either,)" said Samara with a smirk, "(But I could make them miserable for a while.)"

Ginny was still talking to Samara when Draco came in.  His aura deepened in disappointment that Samara was not alone, but he said nothing and sat on the edge of Samara's bed.

Samara smirked at him.

 "You're looking a lot better than you were last night," he said.

"I got my wand back," she said happily.  "And we talked for a long while about the basilisk whose skin is in my wand."

"You _talked _to Him?" said Draco.

Samara nodded.

 Draco and Ginny were both sitting with Samara when the owl came.  It flew frantically at the window, banging into it in its haste.  "Weasel, do a privacy ward," said Draco as holding his wand in his left hand, he removed the glass, and the owl flew in collapsing immediately on the bed.   Draco frowned at Ginny.  "Didn't I tell you to do a privacy ward?" said Draco.  "What's wrong with you?  Did I forget to say please?"

"As a matter of fact, you did," said Ginny, "Anyway, no one's here now."

"Gosh! What's wrong with it," wondered Samara petting the exhausted owl and Ginny turned to it, doing a rudimentary medical assessment spell on it.  "It has a stealth, stamina and speed spell on it.  That's enough to practically kill it alone, but I think it was apparated at least 200 miles before its journey began too. Whoever sent this owl ought not to be allowed to own owls!"

"Why would someone do that?"  snapped Samara.  "They had to realize that the bird couldn't handle that much magic."

"Obviously, they were in a hurry to get me the message," said  Draco wincing as he  pulled off the message.

"You wouldn't get it if the bird was dead," said Samara, petting it.  Suddenly it shivered and died in her hands.

"Oh-h-" said Samara sadly.

"It's just an owl," muttered Draco as he read the message silently and his aura went through yellow to blue and back to red to orange.  Then he tucked it into his robe, but Samara frowned, putting the bird down at the bottom of the bed, much to the basilisk's dismay.  "Accio!" she said, pulling the note off of him.  After the dying owl and that rainbow display, there was no way she was letting him walk away with that note without her seeing it.

He dove for it, scrambling with her for the parchment, until she pulled her wand. "You know I'll curse you," she promised.

"You've been sick," said Draco.  "You shouldn't do magic yet."

"Who says?"  While still holding her wand on him she opened the note.

"Samara please," he said.  "It's better if you don't know what it says.  I don't want him to be able to find out through his legilmency."

"Oh pfaw," said Samara as she opened the note and read.

Hi Cousin,

Don't use your portkey.  Our friends are under house arrest because of their Christmas Eve activities.  No portkeys, no apparitions, no fun. But they are in a bloody hurry for our rematch.  I told them they can't beat us at double Quit, but stubbornness runs in the family, I guess, and who knows what will happen if we don't show up. Father Christmas might pop in at your place and bring some unexpected surprises.  I told them to meet us at that muggle library ASAP.  Their problem to get there,  Your problem to find it.  You could apparate here and we'll go together.  You know me.  I know where all the libraries are, even the muggle ones.    From there maybe we can stir a little havoc. You know collect some blood, fingernails or even that other item you spoke of. Now I know Dad won't have any problem with me going to the library.  Can you get out?  Set the time, and make it soon.

Kisses and curses,

Lauren

PS. If I didn't calculate correctly take care of my owl.

"Portkey?" said Samara, confused.

Ginny scooted out of the way, as he tried to accio the note while Samara read but she was ready for him.  Then he tried to snatch it off of her several times, but she anticipated his moves as if she could read his mind, once batting his right arm rather roughly and he winced. 

"Ow!"

"Oh, sorry.  Forgot about your arm, said Samara.

_"He might be right, Ginny Love," said Tom_, and Ginny joined Draco, unexpectedly accioing the note from her friend.  She barely glanced at it, before Tom said, _"I got it."_ 

"What did you do that for?" snapped Samara  and  Draco took the note left handed from Ginny's grasp.

"What happened to your arm?' asked Ginny.

"Broke it yesterday," answered Draco. 

"But if you broke it yesterday," said Ginny. "It should be fine."

"Not set until this morning," replied Draco.

"I don't understand," said Ginny trying to look over his shoulder. "What is it, some kind of code?"

Draco sighed and folded the note..  "Samara might be able to hide something from him.  I know you can't."

"And you can?" questioned Ginny incredulous.

"Snape has had me practicing this non-stop since first year—"

"Occlumency?  You?"  Ginny laughed.

"Why is that so funny?  I know it's a gift but there are wards against legilmency.  Snape just didn't want me to be a Death Eater, but believe me, blocking my parents and blocking him are two entirely different things.  It's dangerous."

His eyes sparkled and Samara punched him, apparently seeing more than his eyes sparkling.  "Quit being a prat, Draco."

"I didn't do anything," he protested.

"Your aura said otherwise," replied Samara.

 He threw up his hands in defeat.  "I don't even have to do anything wrong," he complained.  "My aura's wrong and I'm in trouble with her—"

"I know what you mean," said Ginny with a half smile on her lips

_And Tom burst into laughter._

Then so did Ginny.  "Quit it Tom.  I hate when you do that," she thought.

"Where were you going to portkey to –or who?," asked Samara seriously.  "and who's Father Christmas?"

Draco didn't answer.

"It's Dumbledore isn't it?" asked Samara.

Draco still didn't answer.

"It is," said Samara.  "He knows where we are."

"Bloody hell, Samara.  Shut up.  You may have some chance of keeping this from Him, but Virginia doesn't!  I swear if you don't shut up on your own, I will shut you up."

"Ha!' spat Samara. "Can't do it."

"Bet me." He leaned in to her shifting the bed covers and causing the basilisks to hiss their discomfort.

"You're dreaming, Draco."

"Bet me."

He pushed her against the pillows.

"I don't want to hurt your arm," said Samara, but Draco seemed not to care, pinning her with his weight.

"You're on," Samara said, but he smothered her comment with a kiss.  For a moment the basilisks scattered hissing in anger, but in another moment, they came back, snuggling close to their heat and their magic.  The dead owl fell to the floor with a soft plunk.

"Oh—watch the owl," said Samara.

**"Incendio,"** said Draco cremating the bird without setting the carpet on which it sat on fire.  However, the room instantly was filled with the stink of burnt feathers. 

"Yuk," complained Samara "Now it stinks in here.  Was that Elemental fire?  You used Fire didn't you?"

"Visha?"  Ginny said anxiously, as Draco pulled his wand and left handed performed an air cleaning spell then still one-handed started to ward her out.  The entire group of basilisks were hissing wildly.

"Visha?" she said again, as Samara giggling, pushed the serpent apart from her own, and Ginny gathered the basilisk up into her arms. "I guess I'll see you later," said Ginny hesitantly.

The privacy ward snapped shut.

"Nice magic," commented Visha wistfully.

"I'm sorry," said Ginny.  "Did you want to stay with them?"

"No.  Mistress always has double magic."

"Double?" said Ginny.  "You can feel Tom?"

"Tom?" said Visha confusedly.  "Two magics.  It is not a sissshauss?"

"Tom?  _My _sisshauss?"  Ginny burst out laughing.

"It's not funny," said Tom dryly.

A tap on the door of the room Ron and Harry were sharing, preceded it's opening.  Neville peered in, saying nothing.

"Hi," said Hermione softly.

"Merry Christmas," added Harry in a whisper.

"Hardly Merry," commented Neville.

"No," said Harry, and Hermione jumped off of the bed to embrace Neville.  For once Ron didn't say a word.

"We're so sorry about your Grandmum," said Hermione, while she held him tightly.  "I'm sure she'll be alright.  The medi-witches at St. Mungos are really good."

"Sirius said you went to your house Hermione and saved your parents right from under Voldemort's wand," commented Neville.

"What?" said Ron.

"Sirius was so proud of you."

"He was?" said Harry.

Neville looked from one to the other slowly as if assessing them.  "First Hermione's parents and then your house Harry and then mine.  Your family, Ron,  was the only one spared," said Neville.

"Oh yeah," said Ron hotly.  "He just has my sister.  That hardly counts as family."

"I just—I meant—Oh, I'm sorry."  Neville burst into tears.

"Don't worry about it, Neville," said Ron.  "We're all a little edgy."

Neville sniffed, pulling a handkerchief out of his robe pocket and his wand along with it, which clattered to the floor.  As he picked it up, he looked at the discarded wrappings on the bed and commented, "I don't have any gifts.  Even if I did, everything burned—" He choked.  "I never saw such a fire—never—Trevor died—I forgot about him—I--"  Neville sobbed, "I can't believe I just forgot him."

"You had a lot to think of," said Hermione.

"She was there—" Neville continued.  "Valeriana Lestrange, but not her husband, and the Malfoy's—"

"Draco?" asked Hermione.

Neville shook his head.  "No, Lucius and Narcissa.  They were laughing like it was some sort of joke.  They taunted Grandmum.  I wanted her to stay inside."

"Didn't you have a portkey or something?" asked  Harry.  "Couldn't you make one—you or your grandmother?"

"No," said Neville.  "We didn't try to portkey.  They set anti-apparition wards at first, but I couldn't have apparated anyway.  I tried to use the floo, but all I could do was call for help."

"Ministry emergency?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Neville, and Harry sucked in his breath.  "They never came," he whispered.  "Why didn't they come?  Grandmum said she wasn't so old that she couldn't keep them from destroying her home.  She thought the aurors would come—But they never did."

"After—"  Neville took a deep breath trying to get control of himself  "Grandmum went to the door, just like Mum and Dad did."  His voice broke as he spoke and the tears rolled steadily down his face.  She hit Valeriana first thing.  I don't know what she did.  Something purple and wicked.  Valeriana fell immediately, but then she had both Narcissa and Lucius to deal with.  I kept begging her to get back inside, especially when I realized the aurors weren't coming, but instead she pushed forward.  I went with her.  She told me to go back inside, but I didn't.  Then another Death Eater attacked Grandmum from behind.  I saw.  I tried.  I tried to help her.  I missed.   I was so stupid.  My hands were shaking and I missed.  If the Death Eater had wanted to kill Grandmum, she would be dead, but the Death Eater said, "Let's play, Longbottom, like old times" and then said the curse, and Grandmum fell.  I knew it was bad the moment the spell hit her.  I'm so useless," he muttered.

"No you're not, Neville," said Harry.  "You saved her."  Snape said the ward held.  "That was your ward, wasn't it?"

Neville nodded.  "I don't even know how I got her back inside.  I just kept thinking nothing was going to touch us and I used that shield spell we learned and I kept throwing out anything I could think of to keep the Death Eaters busy, but I wasn't fast enough and half way through, the whole house exploded around us.  The anti-apparition wards went down then.  I probably could have used the floo too—"

"But you finished the ward," said Hermione.  "Even though the fire was already there, you finished the ward.  That's what saved you."

"No," said Neville.  "Snape saved us.  I got the ward up, and then I remembered Snape saying that Sleeping wards sometimes delayed dark magic so I did _Somnus_ on Grandmum, and then there was another explosion and I heard  Edward.  Ethan and Edward Lestrange were there, laughing about the fire. I could feel the heat.   The ward was vibrating with the power of their spells.  I was afraid it wasn't going to hold much longer and then Snape apparated right beside me. He was—He was—"

"Wearing Death Eater robes?" Harry asked.

Neville nodded. "He even had his mask on, but I would recognize that voice anywhere.  He told me to take the ward down."

"And you did!" said Ron surprised.

"Yes," said Neville, "He pulled off his mask and said Neville—He called me Neville—" He said, "Neville, you have to trust me.  Take the ward down." And I did and then he apparated us here.  It was over that fast.

"He could have apparated you to you-know-who," said Ron.

"He could have," said Neville, "But he didn't."

  ==  

**NOTES TO REVIEWERS**:

Ah, yes, just like the poll, Neville seems to think that Snape is on the side of light.  Hehehe.

If you would like to put your thoughts in about Snape's loyalties, come to the group at yahoo, TheSeersTruth, that's w-groups.yahoo(dot) com/group/TheSeersTruth

**Fuz**: Glad you like

**Draco's wench**: More Draco coming.  Lots more Draco

**Sky:**  How dare you forget to review.  Neville on a killing spree?  Are you kidding?

**Kwai Chang Yoda**  Yes, Count this will.  Snape, you want.  Hmmmmm. Snape you shall have.

**Dragonheart2:**  Huggles?  Oh pleezze don't do that.  I thought you were a Slytherin.  Shivers. Now, about the lightswitch.  Well, I'll let Draco explain later.  Shocked that Volde wants Tonks on his side?  Well, she isn't half-muggle.  Her mother married a muggleborn, so she's a quarter.  Bad enough though   Lily Potter, well last time he saw her, he ended up a slug.  It was just a gut reaction.  Glad you liked the other stuff.  Thanks for the long review.  They are terrific muse boosters.

**Reiven**:  You like Tonks?  She's a Gryffindor!  traitor!  Ahhh.  So sorry.

**Lucius Malfoy**  Glad you enjoyed.  I love putting a bit of humor in an otherwise depressing or action filled chapter.  Laughs are always good.  Well, almost always.  Variety is good.  Romance for Ginny?  You want her to cheat on Tom?  How would she get away with that?  I think she has her hands full right now, but I will keep it in mind.

**Trillium**:  Glad you liked Snape.  I like him too.  He's just awesome.  I promise you will soon be able to say, I loved Snape in this chapter!  Wait, he wasn't IN this chapter, but his handiwork was, and it was awesome.  Just wrote some great Snape and I'm so excited to share it with you.  Should I tell them? It's Snape/Valeriana?  No it's not! Snape has better taste.  Well, no it isn't really.  It's more—no  Don't tell them that.  Shut up, Tom!

**Garrett**:  Love to leave you hanging.  So keep hanging around.

**Ennui deMorte:**  You love the golden trio?  Wow!  That's a new one.  Yes, I'm sure Volde would have known about lights. Tonks and her taunting.  Tsk tsk.  Snape saving the Longbottoms was fun to write.  I could just see him sweeping in with those robes covered in tiny burn holes.  Of course, the burn holes could have been from babysitting Ethan instead of burning muggles, you know.  Since you all believe that Snape is light.  He he he. 

**Adaneth:**  Don't worry about Vernon and Petunia dying. I'll give you someone to hate.

**Silverfox1**:  Are you determined to end this fic?  Of course they had to show up and save the trio.  I'm not done with the story yet.  There will be plenty of time for Gryffindor heroics and even time for Harry to contemplate the meaning of life and various breeds of bunny—OK that was mean.  Sorry.  Smirks.  Lots of good stuff coming for the intrepid trio and of course, just for you, more Draco.  Calling all Draco fans!  More Draco.  yum.

**Kemenran**:  Of course.

**Jager:**  I love the Death Eaters too for some reason.  I think it's my warped mind. Whatta you think, Tom?  Oh I forgot I told you to shut up, didn't I?  Come back, Tom.  Pleeze?

**Terry:**  I know, fanfic was being pretty stubborn, but eventually, I got all your reviews.  Thanks.  I'm glad you like Samara and Hermione's house.  Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Now, to the rest of you, **TIME TO REVIEW…**

**15 REVIEWS TO THE NEXT CHAPTER.**


	12. CH 12 Whisper Betrayal

**THE SEERS' TRUTH: BEYOND THE DARKNESS**

**By Lady Lestrange**

Chapter 12 Whisper Betrayal 

THANKS to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui de Morte

THANKS to my reviewers

15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.  
  
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this fanfic. Thanks jk.

**Chapter 12**

**Whisper Betrayal**

The circle was incomplete..  Voldemort went through the group, one by one, touching and testing, when he reached Severus Snape, he paused.  

"You have news for me?"

"Yes, Master." Voldemort could feel Snape's anger.  The ire was carefully controlled.  Severus was angry, but he was only allowing Voldemort to see a small fraction of his anger.  An exercise in control, Voldemort realized.

"Tell me," said Voldemort.

"Last night," he breathed, closing his eyes as if he could close out their foolishness.  "The Scrimgoers –_The Mulcibers_ are fools! The polyjuice was worn off.  The Mulcibers are in auror custody."

For a moment Voldemort considered.whether it would be profitable or even possible to rescue them.  After all, Dumbledore knew who they were, so they weren't as useful as they once were.  At least there was still the other auror killed at Azkaban who was his, and Severus in the Order, thought Voldemort.  "I assumed they were lost," said Voldemort.

"After all the work I did to get them into the Order, their stupidity is—unbelievable." spat Severus. "_I told them_ they had to be back at home by one o'clock. _I told them_ when the news of the muggle killings spread, Dumbledore would call in the Order. They didn't listen to me."

"But it's not like he calls you with a Dark Mark," said Voldemort gently. "One could easily ignore his summons, Severus."

"Yes," said Severus.  "One could.  Except that Dumbledore is very protective of his Order, and after Harry Potter's home was attacked, and then the Longbottoms were attacked, it was very clear that this was not just an attack on muggles—as—was—planned." Snape glared at Narcissa and Lucius. 

"Don't belittle their ardor," said Voldemort gently.

"When the Scrimgoers didn't answer the fire call," Severus continued.  "Dumbledore was  worried about their safety. He was worried!"

Voldemort said, "So they were late?"

"Yes," said Severus. 

"Perhaps it couldn't be helped."

 "_I_ answered his call.  _I_ did everything I was supposed to do here, and then returned to Dumbledore _as planned_.  They could have done so as well if they had any dedication--."

"Since you are so dedicated, Severus, why could you not cover for the Mulciber's absence?" asked  Voldemort.

Voldemort saw a flare of impatience from Severus before he spoke.  "Dumbledore sent a contingent of Order aurors to check on the Scrimgoers.  To _rescue_ them if need be, but the house was empty, no sign of a struggle.  Still the situation could have been salvaged.  I checked their itinerary, but they weren't where they were _supposed_ to be, and then guess who apparated in—high as hell on wandless magic—the Mulcibers!  They didn't even get a spell off!" cried Severus.  "The aurors were on them like flame on a dragon's tongue."

"If they were caught as the Mulcibers, then another could take the polyjuice and show up later as the Scrimgoers," said Voldemort, but Snape shook his head.  "Veritaserium," he said shortly.

"Damn," muttered Voldemort.  "What I want to know, is why they were off of their planned itinerary?  Where are the children, who were assigned with the Mulcibers?" asked Voldemort, looking around the room.

Gloria Snood and Maura Rosier stepped forward.  Gloria immediately started to cry. "It wasn't our fault, Master.  They told us to leave.  They told us to come back to the Snow Castle.  They told us they would finish..  We knew it wasn't your original order, but we didn't know if it had changed—"

Voldemort felt the magic building in his hands, at the sound of her whining.  Its burning was almost painful.  He wanted to curse someone so badly, that he knew if anyone moved out of place, the fire of _curcio_ was theirs.  It seemed they knew too, and except for the child's incessant sobbing there was no sound. No movement.  He turned to Maura, who seemed to Voldemort to be a little more mature, although she was the same age as Gloria.

"You, tell me what happened," he said tightly and her face paled.

"The first church went as planned," said Maura, but the second—" Maura hesitated, and he reached out lightening quick and grasped her robe pulling her to him.

Maura's snake hissed, "Sheiss!"

"(Get off of her, Koschei, or she is sissshausss,)" Volemort replied in parseltongue to the adder. "(You see, my fangs are already at her throat. You cannot protect her from me.  You must yield.)" 

Immediately Koschei dropped to the ground, hissing forlornly, "(Mistress?  Mistress?)"

"(Come to me, Koschei,)" hissed Ginny softly. "(Your Mistress will be fine if she tells the truth.)"

"(Are you so sure?)" Voldemort hissed back at her, and then he turned back to Maura, red eyes glaring. "Now, tell me the truth."

"We went to the first muggle church and burned it as planned," she said.  He felt her relax, openly allowing him access to her thoughts as she spoke.  "We were high spirited  and excited but using our wands, except for Gloria who threw Elemental fire onto the building. Ah--  It got a little out of control."  Voldemort's eyes narrowed, _that was the fact that she didn't want to tell—protecting her friend_.  "We stayed to watch the mayhem.  At the second church the Mulcibers, told us the imperious curse was their specialty.  I asked them to show us," said Maura. 

Voldemort felt a flash of shame wash through her.  She had been subjected to the imperious curse: teased by other children at Durmstrang and she wanted to correct that situation.  There was no shame in that, thought Voldemort. No shame in wanting to better oneself.  No shame in revenge. 

 "It was really funny when the Muggle set the fire to his own church," she continued.  "and even funnier when he burned his own clothes—with him still in them!  By now, we were behind schedule, and the Mulcibers switched to Elemental Magic.  It was faster.  We wanted to use the Elementals too, and they agreed, although neither of us can pull water from the Elementals unless we are touching water.  They let me and Gloria set all the fires.  They put them out. Gloria set more than I did.  I--Iwas starting to feel sick.  Donella Mulciber said I overextended and should continue to release and rest.  By that time, we were all seriously silly.  I don't even think I could walk but we thought we were done.  Gloria and I were—well I'm not sure where I slept last night.  I remember flying and when I woke up I was in the infirmary with broken ribs.  Someone levitated me to bed.  I don't know who.  The last thing I remember is flying and  the Mulcibers arguing.  They were planning on going back to the second house because the muggle firemen came and put it out before it burned to the ground.  And there were reports that another house, the firemen couldn't put out at all.  It was still burning.  We had to go back.  We thought it might have been the first house we did—Gloria's flames.

Voldemort wheeled, slapping Gloria with the spell, and her sobbing rose to shrieks.  **"Crucio!  **Your carelessness has caused me to lose two valued Death Eaters.****

"But the Mulcibers were supposed to put out the fires, not us," Maura pointed out.

Immediately he turned back to Maura, who wilted in his hands    He shook her like a dog shaking a rag toy, but she stubbornly continued.   "The Mulcibers didn't remember whether or not they doused that fire." Maura said raising her eyes to his. "They argued about who would apparate us back and who would take care of the fire.  I don't remember what they decided. I—I think I passed out." 

 Her heart was beating rapidly, and fear flowed all over her, but she knew she was telling him the truth and she didn't back down.  He felt every emotion she felt as if she were shouting.  She stubbornly wanted him to understand that neither she nor Gloria had done anything wrong. _We followed the rules._ She understood the importance of following orders. She cunningly placed the blame on the Mulcibers themselves, and she met his gaze with an expression that he could have mistaken for arrogance.  He drew his hand around her cheek almost tenderly, thinking perhaps _I have found another future leader.  He needed to nurture that quality in her.  He remembered her parents with fondness._

"I like your tenacity, Maura Rosier," he said softly. "I will not punish you for your part in this."  

Voldemort dropped Maura on the floor like a discarded rag.  "So you like to play with fire, do you," said Voldemort, turning to Gloria..

"I like fire," she said hesitantly, "But not your fire in crucio," she stuttered. "Please—"

"You will learn how to extinguish your fires."

"But I'm not very good at water," said Gloria.  

"Then you will work until you get it," said Voldemort simply.  "and since it was the Malfoy's unscheduled excursion to the Longbottom's that contributed to the loss of my spies, they shall work with you."

He turned and fastened his eyes on the pale couple.

"Narcissa," said Voldemort, "You will work with her, with the Elemental Fire,  but only give her Elemental Water if she is in danger of death.  A few burns will cause her to be more careful. It might even give her the incentive to find the Elemental Water.  In fact, no water at all, not even to drink.  I am confident she will find it."

"And you, little one," said Voldemort turning to Maura, since you are so interested in the Imperius curse, you will practice it with Lucius, both sides of the curse, Lucius.  With both of the Mulcibers gone, I'm going to need a new expert with the Imperious curse.  She won't be ready for a long while, but we are planning for the future, are we not?"

"Yes, Master."

"Maura has the temperment for imperious, I believe.  At the very least, she should be able to handle the Muggles?"

Lucius nodded.  "Yes master."  He hesitated.  "Valeriana was also with us, Master," he said softly.  "I thought I should go with her to be sure _her_ Elemental Fire was put out."

Voldemort smiled thinly.  "Ever ready to lay blame where blame is due, aren't you Lucius?"

"I thought you were interested in the truth," said Lucius.

"The truth is a very complicated subject," Voldemort said softly.  "However, you will be happy to know that as soon as Valeriana is well enough, I will deal with her—punishment."  Voldemort captured a lock of Lucius silvery hair that had escaped its low ponytail, and rubbed the hair through his fingers, yours however, will be much more immediate. You should be able to control your wife, Lucius."

"My wife was not the problem, Master," said Lucius.

"You will remain when the others are dismissed," said Voldemort quietly.

"Yes, Master."

++

At the end of the week, Harry attended his relative's funeral with Arabella Figg.  Dumbledore was loathed to let Sirius go with him due to the possibility that either the Ministry or the Death Eaters would be able to trace Sirius' whereabouts.  

"I know you have gotten comfortable with Sirius," said Dumbledore, "but I'm afraid he cannot come with you.  It's too dangerous.  He could be recognized, and as much as we trust him here, he is a wanted felon.  Until his name is cleared, it's just too dangerous. Which brings to mind, we will have to have a legal guardian stand for you until you come of age."

"But," said Harry, "I thought Sirius could be—"

"A convicted felon?  Escaped from Azkaban?  Of course not.  Not to worry, Harry.  We'll think of something,"  Said Dumbledore.

Harry went through the funeral in a daze.  The weather didn't cooperate and it continued to be cold and rainy.  It seemed as if everyone was crying, even the sky.  Only Harry was dry eyed.  He couldn't manage to shed a single tear for the Dursleys.  Aunt Marge, dressed in a flowing black dress that made her look like she was about three times her already large bulk, had cornered him.  "I heard the firemen," she hissed.  "They said  it was like the fires of hell.  They couldn't put it out.  This was your fault.  You think I don't know about you being some kind of demon, but I know.  My brother told me—"

Harry was rescued by the most unlikely person: Cornelius Fudge.  **"Obliviate!"  **he whispered, pointing his wand at Aunt Marge.   "This is so unfortunate," said Fudge.  "But I daresay you will be happier with your godfather."

"My godfather?" said Harry blankly.

"Yes," said Fudge.  "I'm sure he will turn up, now that you have no family at all Harry.  I will do what I can to help you, of course, until you of age.  If he doesn't turn up, there are any number of wizards who will be happy to take you in and call you—their son."

"Thank you," said Harry uneasily, "Excuse me,"  and looked around for Mrs. Figg.  She was nibbling some of the mints on the table.  "None of them taste any different," she commented.  "Not like Bertie Botts Beans at all."

"No," agreed Harry.  "Can we leave?"

"I think you should talk to Dudley," suggested Mrs. Figg.  "He looks so forlorn.  Maybe you can help him."

"Why?" asked  Harry bitterly, but he followed  Mrs. Figg's advice and went to sit in the corner by Dudley.  Dudley looked like he had lost about twenty pounds in the last few days.  He wasn't even eating the mints.  

"Hi," said Harry softly.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here," said Dudley looking at Harry.  "It's your fault they're dead.  I don't care what the police said about a gas line explosion.  It was your kind, wasn't it?"

Harry said nothing.

"You don't have to answer," said Dudley.  "I know it was.  Aunt Marge says everyone will think I'm nutters, saying things like it was wizards that blew up the block, so I won't say anything, but I know it was, Harry and you know it too."  He turned his watery eyes to Harry.  "You ruined my life," he said.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered.  "If I could do something—"

"Can you bring them back?" asked Dudley suddenly.

"No," whispered Harry horrified.

"Then just stay away from me.  I don't ever want to see you again. Get out, and don't come back"  Dudley got up and walked away from him.  Harry sat in the funeral home with his face in his hands until Mrs. Figg sat beside him.

"Can we go now?" he asked again.

"I suppose so," she said. "What did Minister Fudge have to say to you?"

"He asked about Sirius," said Harry, and Mrs. Figg hissed through her teeth.  "That's bad," she commented.  "We'll have to tell Dumbledore." 

++

The trio had settled back into life at the Granger's house, but they weren't happy about it.  The Order was busy and the adults were determined not to let the children know what was happening.  Harry was just as determined to find out, but so far, they had not made much progress.  They had gone several times to Sirius' house and they were permitted to do magic there as long as Tonks or Sirius was in the room with them.

"I don't want you disappearing with a portkey," spat Sirius.

The problem was, neither Tonks nor Sirius had much time to sit with them, and several of their supposed outings to Sirius' house had been cancelled or postponed due to Order activities.

"Something is afoot," said Harry. "something important."

"I agree, Harry," said Hermione, "But I don't think there is any way we can find out what it is."

It turned out that Harry found out at least one of the things the adults were keeping from him in a very unusual way.  Dumbledore actually told him.  Well, Snape told him in the presence of Dumbledore.  He was called alone to the house and when he came into the room Dumbledore and Sirius were sitting comfortably on the sofa.  Snape was pacing.  He turned as Harry entered.  "Ask him," Snape spat.  "After all he's fifteen.  He has a right to make the choice.  When I was fifteen, I made my own choices.  Aren't you the one always harping on about choices, Albus?"

"Severus," interrupted Dumbledore, but Snape didn't stop his pacing, he turned to Harry and spat, "These two imbeciles think that I should be your legal guardian."

Harry chocked and stared at them all.

"Speechless?" sneered Snape. 

"Severus, you are the only one that James and Lily Potter gave power of guardianship to other than Sirius," said Dumbledore.  "You won't have to _do_ anything, Sirius has agreed."

"It was a long time ago," said Severus.  "It was a mistake then.  It's a mistake now.  In my—work—it can be nothing but disasterous."

"It's in name only," said Sirius.  "I don't like it either Harry, but it is the only way we can avoid the Ministry.  If the Ministry gets involved they can give guardianship to—anyone—You could end up with—the Malfoys.  This way, you can continue to stay with me during holidays unless you want to visit with your friends."

Harry highly doubted the Malfoys would want to take him in, even if Voldemort suggested it.  

"What about the Weasley's" said Harry desperately.

"They already have too many children already to be approved by the Ministry," said Dumbledore.

Snape snorted and Harry glared at him.  He refused to have anything to do with the slimy git.

"Mrs. Figg?  She used to watch me—"

"No," said Dumbledore.  "The Ministry wouldn't approve a single witch."

"But Snape isn't married," said Harry.

"That isn't the point," said Dumbledore patiently.  "Severus can bypass all the paperwork.  The Ministry has already approved Snape's guardianship of you."

"What!"

"Harry," Dumbledore said gently, "Fifteen years ago.  There was a time—when—The Order--"  Dumbledore paused 

"The Order!  Is that all you think about?  The Order has nothing to do with this or with me! You've made that pretty obvious."  

"Alas, it does," said Dumbledore, and then Dumbledore stopped talking, putting a lemon drop into his mouth and sucking it absently.  Harry wasn't even sure he was going to continue, but neither Sirius nor Snape said anything and at last Dumbldore continued.  "Harry, your parents were members of the Order.  You mother was an auror.  There were times when they couldn't care for you.   They trusted Severus Snape."

Harry made a strangled little sound that was indistinguishable from a sob.  His mind was a whirl.  Why would his parents do that?  They loved him.  His mother died for him.  They would have never given him to someone like Snape. He certainly wasn't the babysitting type.   It was lunacy. He suddenly remembered Snape talking to Dumbledore that day back in the library.  Snape saying, "Give him Harry Potter—to Voldemort—How could he be safe with Snape?"  But Snape was against this craziness. It didn't make sense.  

"Go on, Albus," said Snape caustically. "You should have told him this years ago."

"Nothing will change," Sirius assured him.  "I will still take care of you, Harry."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me," Harry growled.  His head spinning, he pulled his portkey from his pocket.  "I'm going back to Hermione's now," he said. "and then, I'm going back to Hogwarts."

"Well, I'm glad that's all settled," said Dumbledore rubbing his hands together with a sigh, and Harry touched the portkey, feeling like the world was closing in on him.  It was worse than the cupboard.  Dumbledore's voice echoed just before the jerk of the portkey began:

 "Now to the next order of business, Severus have you told Voldemort that I know the location of the Snow Castle?"

++

It was only days since the Mulcibers' demise.  Voldemort did not think they were dead, but they were no longer any use to him.  Dumbledore and his bloody Order had frustrated his attempts to find the necessary passwords to aurors' personal wards and he still hadn't found the spy in his own ranks.  Wormtail had indicated Judson.  Judson, thought Voldemort.  It would explain his weakness or reluctance to perform Avada.  On the other hand,  Judson just didn't have the temperment to be a spy.  No, it was someone else, and to top it all off, Voldemort was quite sure that Wormtail himself was hording some secret.  Well, it would be out soon.  Of that he was sure.  When Wormtail returned from his work with the Muggles, Voldemort would find out his secrets. The  prospect pleased Him, and He smiled as he surveyed the circle.

He moved to the next Death Eater, talking only for that man's ears.  "Is Eldon Nott faring any better?"

"No Master.  The same, and still well guarded."

"Don't trouble yourself overly much," said Voldemort.  "His son is more consciencious than he ever was, so Pandora's Box is cared for."  He raised his voice for the circle.  "I do loathe to lose any of you to the asshole aurors.  You are my family."  He touched the Death Eater gently, caressing his cheek, and then moving on.

"Have you gained entrance to Madam Bone's flat?" he asked the next Death Eater. 

"No Master, but it's only—"

**"Curcio!"**

Screams punctuated the air for several minutes and then the man's sobbing continued as Voldemort whispered a furious order in the man's ear. And then Voldemort raised his voice for all to hear.  "The correct answer," he said, "is yes, master.  That is the _only _correct answer."

He looked at Virginia Weasley.  "(Have you found my emerald?)" he hissed in parseltongue.

"(I'm sure I will be able to get it as soon as I get back to Hogwarts.)" answered, also in parseltongue.

"Wrong answer," said Voldemort.  **"Crucio!"**

Voldemort continued to move around the circle until he came to Cornelius Fudge.  "Cornelius, what word on Harry Potter's guardianship?"

"N--nothing yet, M-my Lord.  I thought I would ask who you would prefer—"

"Master," interrupted Severus, and Voldemort frowned at him. Several Death Eaters sucked in their breath.  It was not often a Death Eater interrupted someone Voldemort was talking to and not without good reason.  "Master?" said Severus again stepping into the center of the circle.  "The guardianship has been decided already."

"Indeed?" said Voldemort.  "Without the Minister's permission?"

"The permission was granted fourteen years ago."

"To whom?" demanded Voldemort.

"To me."

Voldemort looked stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter.

Severus looked around at the circle and dropped to his knees in front of Voldemort,  "Master," he interrupted.  "Master, it is not as simple as you might think.  There are circumstances—"

"What circumstances?" growled Voldemort.

Severus licked his lips.  "Please," he asked.  "I crave a private audience with you, so that we can discuss this in depth."

The murmuring in the circle disappeared.  No one _asked_ for a private audience.  Such things with Voldemort generally ended in some kind of torture.

Voldemort regarded him silently.

"Please—Master--"

Voldemort nodded, his eyes on Severus. With a quick flick of his hand he dismissed the others.  "Go," he said.  "You are dismissed."

"Now, Severus," said Voldemort, his red eyes boring into Snape's black ones.  "You have my full attention.  Speak."

++

Voldemort paced around the kneeling figure of Severus Snape. "Why could you not speak of this in front of the circle?" demanded Voldemort.

"You have a spy.  You know it and I know it.  The others want you to believe it is me."  

He reached out and touched Severus face and Severus did not shy from his touch.  He felt sincerity.  Others _did_ want to see Severus fail, but there were still things hidden behind Severus' occlumency wards, things Voldemort longed to uncover.

One by one, Severus striped himself of the occlumency wards, voluntarily allowing Voldemort access to his thoughts.  Sincerity was dripping from his every word as he spoke.  "Master," Severus said  "Master,  it is not as simple as you might think to just bring Harry Potter to you.  Dumbledore just wants to use my name to keep Harry Potter with _him_. It is Dumbledore who is protecting Harry Potter, just like before.  Nothing has changed."

"Of course it has.  Legally Harry Potter is yours."

"But Dumbledore will not let me take him anywhere.  He trusts me, but not that much.  You can't expect—"

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot expect," said Voldemort coldly.  "I expect loyalty.  That's what I expect.  Do I have it?"

"Of course, Master—"

"Then it is only a matter of time before I have Harry Potter," interrupted Voldemort.

"But Dumbledore?" questioned Severus, his thoughts rolling.  ."Master—" Severus paused.  "I have heard Dumbledore speak of the Snow Castle.  I have heard him say, he knows its location."

"No," began Voldemort, but everything Severus said and thought was true.  There were no falsehoods.  That Voldemort knew.  The words and the corresponding legilimency were perfectly matched, so why didn't he believe Severus?

Apparently, Severus caught that thought from him!  "I have heard the words from his own mouth, Master.  I swear it. Touch me and know I speak the truth."

Voldemort reached out to him, feeling the truth.  Seeing Dumbledore saying the words about the Snow Castle.

"Bah!  This would be good news next week, but not now.  We're not ready.  If he indeed knows about the Snow Castle," said Voldemort "The only answer is to kill him.  A small group of Death Eaters—" began Voldemort.

"Let me do it," said Severus.  "Let me prove my loyalty to you, Master."

"Very well," said Voldemort turning and fixing Severus with his deadly red stare..  "Kill him."

"Master?"

"You must have ample opportunity.  Dumbledore is a relic of a time gone by that has long outlived his usefulness.  It is time for him to die."  Voldemort paced away.  "You have the Avery intellect, the Snape cunning.  Use that magic draining potion you made for the Prophecy Child when she was in the Elementals.  That should make him manageable.  Find a time and a place when he is alone.  You will activate your Mark, and I will come to you. I do not expect you to take him alone.  He is a formidable foe, but together we will take him down. It will be a glorious adventure," said Voldemort, his red eyes shining with their unnatural light.  He turned that gaze back on Severus. "Don't disappoint me, Severus."

There was a flash of hesitation.  Fear perhaps, before Severus answered.  "Yes, Master." Voldemort reached for his face, but Severus had dropped to his knees, reverently kissing his robes.  "You will not be disappointed in me.  I promise you, Master.  You will be-- amazed."

"I'd better be," said Voldemort.  "You were right not to say this in front of the circle," he continued.  "But there are some who would be valuable assets with this knowledge.  Severus, your arm."

Severus rolled up his sleeve, revealing his Dark Mark, and Voldemort began to call his trusted followers by name.

  ==  

Fuz:  Glad you liked.

Ennui de Morte:  Yes, I managed to get through the fanfic haze of craziness and although they wouldn't let me load an html document, you still did get your chapter.  It's all INTENT, don't you know.  I know you love when I make Ginny strong, even tho it's because of Tom.  Probably the only thing I could have done to make this better is have her hex Draco, right? Lol.  Come to group and discuss.  Ennui has worked very hard on getting the group together.  Appreciate all of your input.  When I put a link here, fanfic freaks out, so I will just say, go to my author page, and you will see it there.  Yahoo group, The_Seers_Truth.

Adaneth:  I did the complex wizard stuff explained to the basilisks because I knew I would lose a few readers in the Elementals.  This was to help you understand a little better what happened there.  Plus, notice that Samara TALKS to her basilisks.  Voldemort doesn't.  Can see a little of her Hufflepuff side here.  Remember she is, according to Helga, "our blood combined".

Kemenran:  Yes, thank you.

Jager:  Yes, Ginny and Tom do seem to bicker a bit, but it makes for a break from Volde's tortures and angst.  Samara sees the change in the aura, so she knows something is up with Ginny, but she doesn't know exactly that it is Tom, although she does know it has something to do with a diary in "first year"  The first time she played Quit, she said, "Tom" out loud. Chapter 39, Opening Doors, The Seers Truth:  The Broken Beginning.

Ele:  I hope you came back and found the finished chapter.

Silverfox1:  But Volde thinks all the basilisks are his.  Glad you liked.

  == 

Now, go review!


	13. CH 13: Tag

**The Seers Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Disclaimer:**  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  No money is made from this Fanfic.  Thanks JK

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job helping to make these chapters better than I could make them alone.  Thanks ennui!

**Chapter 13**

**Tag**

+++ 

Harry couldn't bring himself to tell Ron and Hermione why he was summoned to Sirius house. It was easier telling them he had imprinted a basilisk. They just thought Sirius wanted to visit privately with him and he didn't enlighten them. He just wasn't sure how to tell them that Snape was his legal guardian. He did, however, tell them that Dumbledore knew the location of the Snow Castle, which made them all nervous, but they could think of nothing to solve their dilemma. 

"I think we do have to tell Draco that Dumbledore knows the location of the Snow Castle though," said Harry. "He needs to know that we should go after the girls as soon as we get back to Hogwarts. Speed is important. I wish we could do it now."

Hermione nodded.   

"When Sirius said no magic, I didn't think he meant chess," complained Ron.

"No," said Hermione. "He just meant we couldn't use magical transportation through the wards."

"Wards," muttered Harry. "I feel like I'm in prison. All we need is dementors."

"Did you send the owl to Draco?" asked Hermione.

"Of course I sent the owl," snapped Harry. "I'm not stupid. I just hope it gets there in time. I told Lauren it was an emergency. We wouldn't want Draco to pop over here and set off all the alarms would we?"

"Well?" said Ron, an evil grin on his face.

"Ron!" admonished Hermione. "Draco said he's help us! And keep your mind on the game. Harry's going to take your queen."

"He doesn't need your help, Hermione," said Harry sharply.

"Yes, I do," said Ron. "None of the pieces look the slightest bit worried."

"It's really not that much different than wizard's chess," said Harry.   

"Yes it is," muttered Ron as he moved his bishop into position to guard his queen.  "I can barely concentrate on the game. All this moving of pieces--it's so distracting."

"Not distracting enough for you to lose," muttered Harry.

"Don't worry, Harry, Sirius will be over soon. He promised to take us to see Neville's grandmum," said Hermione, who was simultaneously reading a book and coaching Harry's every other move.

"Only because Neville requested our presence," said Harry.

"Well, it's better than staying here another day, isn't it?" snapped Ron.

"No," said Harry bitterly. "It isn't. His grandmother is hurt. How can that be better?"

"Ah, now, Ron didn't mean it like that," said Hermione.

"So what _did_ he mean?" sneered Harry.

"Nothing," said Ron, tipping his king, and forfeiting the chess game. "I'm just not in a strategy mood right now," he said.

"Well, you'd better get in a strategy mood," called Harry, at Ron's retreating back. "Unless you want Malfoy calling the moves at the Snow Castle."

++

Ginny trembled as she walked as far as the corridor with Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe and several other young Death Eaters who were not able or not comfortable Apparating out of Voldemort's presence. No one asked her if she was alright or if she needed an arm to lean upon. Every one of them had been _Crucioed_ too many times themselves to care whether or not she was in pain after Voldemort's _crucio_ of her.  She attempted to mimic the Slytherin attitude that everything was fine, even though she was aching inside.

"You know he's just going to call us back in an hour," said Vincent

"Do you think so?" asked Gloria.

"I hope not," said Gregory. "I hate using that portkey. It gives me a sick stomach."

"It's all the Bertie Botts Beans that give you a sick stomach," said Blaise

"Why don't we just stay," suggested Pritch as he, and several others who had Apparated from Lord Voldemort's presence, slowed to let the other catch up to them.  

"What about when He puts the ward back up? We won't be able to leave," said one of the younger students.

"We'll just tell Him we stayed because we love Him so much," said Alvin Nott

Laughter echoed all around.

"He's a Legilimens," said Draco dryly. "He can spot a lie."

"What? Draco," teased Alvin. "Don't you love him?"

"No, he leaves that up to his mother," teased a Hogwarts second year.  

Draco turned, muttering a curse and the boy's clothes ignited. His screeching filled the corridor and witches and wizards came from everywhere, curious to see what was happening.

Ginny reacted instinctively and immediately, dousing the flames with Elemental Water and one of the first years volunteered, "I'll take him home with my portkey. Madam Pomfrey will fix him right up."

Draco said nothing.

"You know, Draco," said Alvin. "He didn't really know about your Mum."

"Everyone knows about my Mum," countered Draco.

"You shouldn't be upset. You should be proud," said Ethan. "Look at our Mum."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows she's nutters," he said and the group laughed.

"So are any of you staying?" asked a Durmstrang student.  

"Why would they do that, Heinrich?" asked another. "It's boring as hell here."

"Unless 'e calls. Zen it iz exciting," added one of the Beauxbatons students.

"Then it gets scary," said another.

"Can tell you're not a Gryffindor," said Gregory Goyle.

"A what?"  asked another Durmstrang boy.  

"Never mind, Ivan" said Gregory.

"Zere's always classes. Zat's interesting."

"Unless you're an animagus," said Pritch with a shiver. "Interesting is not a word I'd used to describe it. What do you think, Gavin?" Pritch asked his new hawk friend.

Gavin shuddered, his golden eyes automatically scanning the little group. "Interesting for Him, maybe—Hey, while everyone's here," suggested the hawk, "Let's play something."

"Quit," suggested one of the Veelas and the hawk shook his head.  

"You can't keep your hands off of us and that isn't fair," he complained.

"Oh—zee lettel bird iz vorried about fair," she batted her eyelashes and four of the boys volunteered to play Quit with her at that instant, including the hawk.

"Oh turn it off, Siren," snarled Millicent. "Or I'm telling Him."

"There are a lot of us here," said one of the girls. "How about search and curse?"

"No medi-wizards," said Millicent, holding up her fingernail-less hand.

Ivan shuddered.  "I wouldn't want him trying to fix me. Healing isn't exactly his area of expertise."

"He'd probably want to see if you died first so he could study your passing," said Heinrich.

"He's done that before," said Draco.

"How about Apparition Tag?" suggested Pritch.

"Good one," agreed Gregory.

"I haven't played that since Durmstrang burned," added Ivan

Heads were nodding all around.

One of the Durmstrang students in the middle of the group said, "Everyone in front of me is a predator and everyone behind me is prey."  

Pop!  Pop!  Pop!  Pop!  The Apparitions sounded until only Gregory, Ginny, and a couple of eleven and twelve year olds were left standing by the Durmstrang student who spoke.

"So what are you?" asked Ginny curiously.

"Predator," he said touching her. "My prey. Now, so are you."

"Oh, I don't have my Apparition license," Ginny said sweetly. "Legal age for Apparition is seventeen in England."

He looked at her like she had just grown a second head. "In other words," he said in disgust, "you don't know how."

His attitude hit her like a kick in the guts, and Visha hissed with displeasure.  

_"Oh don't get morose," said Tom. "Let's play. Come on, Ginny Love."_

"I can't Apparate. Remember?"

"_Well, let me play.  I used to be good at this. We used to play at Knockturn all the time—"_

"Eww!" said Ginny, and then silently added, "I'm going to see Samara."

"You want to play, Ginny Love. You don't want to be left out. Passed by.  I can feel it.  Why don't you let me help you?"

"Tom—I can't—"

"That's the Weasley in you, always settling. Always seeing limitations.  Stop seeing what you can't do, Ginny Love and see what you can do.  Stop settling for second best—"

"I'm a Weasley. I _am_ second best. Second in everything."

"Ginny Love, you're not."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does.  I have a rather unique view.  You can keep this secret from everyone else, but not from me—It matters a great deal to you.  Who would have thought you had such ambition?"

"Slytherins do not have a monopoly on ambition, Tom."

_"Yes, well, ambition doesn't serve for much, if it's just a fairy tale in your heart and you never act upon it."_

"I acted upon it, okay," snarled Ginny. "It landed me here!"

_Tom was silent._

As she walked along the corridor, one of the twelve year old Durmstrang girls that she had taken from their dorm room Apparated directly in front of her. They were almost touching. Ginny shrieked as she felt the brush of the girl's robe.

"Sorry," she muttered and another Durmstrang student Apparated a foot away, and growled at the girl, "Proximity check!  If you Apparate into a wall, you lose!"

The little girl stuck out her tongue at the older student and both popped out one after the other.

_"She still didn't check proximity," observed Tom._

"That's just stupid," said Ginny. "All that risk for a game. I mean if you splinch, who's going to put you back together?"

_"Oh, Salazar could do it," said Tom.  "Of course, he might just put your fingers on backwards or something just for the hell of it—or as punishment for your splinching in the first place."_

Ginny shuddered as another student Apparated a spare foot in front of her. She recognized Pritch who immediately turned into a ferret and dashed down the corridor behind her. He paused, transformed, and Apparated at the end of the hallway.

A veela, obviously chasing Pritch, Apparated behind Ginny. "Stop turning into zee animal," she complained as she dashed to where Pritch had Apparated and Apparated herself.

By this time Ginny had reached the infirmary. Only Samara was still confined to her bed.

Her basilisks hissed excitedly, calling "Tsez!  Bitemate!"

Ginny put Visha on the bed with the other basilisks.  

"What on Earth is going on?" she asked. "Half dozen people have Apparated in and out of here."  While she spoke, Draco popped in beside her and kissed her cheek.  She reached for him, but he was already gone.

"It's a game," said Ginny.  "Apparition tag."

"Sounds fun," said Samara wistfully.

Just then a boy Ginny didn't know Apparated beside her and tagged her. "My prey," he said, but Ginny shook her head. 

"I'm not playing," she said.

"Everyone's playing," he countered.

"I can't Apparate," said Ginny.

"Oh, you poor thing," he said giving Ginny a look of extreme pity before Disapparating.

"Yes, you can," said Tom. "Let' go after him, Ginny Love.  I always liked playing the predator instead of the prey anyway."

"You would," said Ginny.

"What was that supposed to mean?" snapped Tom.

"Ginny?" said Samara concerned.

The boy, who was the hawk, Apparated and Disapparated in quick succession.

"Hi Gavin!" Samara called to the hawk.

"How could you know him?" questioned Ginny. "You've been in bed—"

"He and Millicent stopped by to visit," said Samara.

"Are he and Millicent an item?" asked Ginny. "I've seen her with him a lot."

"I don't know," said Samara with a shiver. "They—like to hunt together. Pritch sometimes goes with them, so maybe not—I think it's just an animagus thing."

"Pritch?" said Ginny.

"Oh, the ferret from Hogwarts. He's in seventh year with your brothers," said Samara. "Don't you know him?"

Ginny shook her head.

A moment later someone again Apparated nearly against Ginny.

"Proximity!" Ginny snapped, irritated.

"I've got it," replied the girl and she Disapparated from the same spot.  

"I know her," said Ginny. "She's from Hogwarts—"

"Edgecomb," agreed Samara. "She's a Ravenclaw."

A moment later, someone Apparated in a few feet from Ginny and she took a couple of steps closer and then paused, thinking. Finally she said, "Could you move?"

"What?" asked Ginny as the girl tried to examine the space Ginny was standing in.

Draco popped in, this time right on the bed with Samara, kissed her and popped out leaving the sheets blowing behind him.

Tom was giggling. "That Ravenclaw was excellent," he commented. "She got closer to you than the Slytherin would and so the Slytherin couldn't get the magical signature unless she asked you to move or got right up in your face.  That was brilliant!"

"But it didn't stop the other girl, did it?" said Ginny.

"No, of course not, she's a Slytherin, but it definitely slowed her down."

Again the hawk boy, Gavin Apparated in, transformed rapidly, flew across the room and Disapparated.

The heat of the game was increasing and several people were using Elementals now, leaving a puddle of water, earth or flame behind them on the carpet.  The basilisks were hissing madly, enjoying the excess magic in the air.

"I hope Ethan doesn't set the place on fire," mused Ginny.

"Was he playing?" asked Samara. "I didn't think he could Apparate."

Ginny frowned.  "I thought he was—"

The room was left in silence for a couple of minutes and Ginny and Samara began discussing what Voldemort knew about the Prophecy Child. Ginny brought up the idea that they both might have more bargaining power if he wasn't sure who the Prophecy child was. 

"He knows the Prophecy Child is powerful," said Samara, "but right now I don't feel very powerful. He scares me when he sits beside me, and I have only a handful more power than a Muggle. I'm so weak! Even when I have the power, I can't always direct it properly. I feel like I have to learn to use magic all over again."  Samara shrugged.  "I don't know, like a stroke victim or something. It's scary."

"Well, your life was in danger. That's not something you just bounce right back from," said Ginny. "Maybe you should continue to let Him think you are weak for as long as you can. He can't give you the Dark Mark until your power is at full capacity."

"Think so?" asked Samara.

Ginny nodded.  

Draco Apparated in with Vincent, several times in quick succession.  "What are you doing?" asked Samara in confusion.

"Helping a friend," said Draco, his usually neat hair blowing as wildly as Harry Potter's and his grey eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Showing off," said Ginny irritably.

The next time Draco entered the room, he was minus Vincent and he didn't Apparate close to Samara. Instead he Apparated close to Ginny, grabbed her around the waist, and Apparated her outside of the infirmary door beside Vincent. She staggered against him, disoriented by the rapid Apparition, and gave a startled little squeak. "Visha!" she said, as she reached for her neck where the basilisk usually curled.

_"Criminy," breathed Tom. "That was fast."_

Ginny turned to open the Infirmary door, but it was locked. "Draco!" she complained, but of course it didn't do any good because he was gone.  

Vincent stood beside her, holding on to the wall.  "I'm dizzy," he confessed, "but we lost the Veelas." He took several deep breaths and actually looked paler for it.

"Veelas?" said Ginny. She frowned. "Vincent, were you using wandless magic?" asked Ginny.  

"Not me. Draco," said Vincent.  

"Your hair's blowing," said Ginny and Vincent worked on releasing the excess magic that collected on him during their Apparitions. She had found that although Vincent was far from intelligent and even less good looking, he was rather nice, _for a Slytherin_ she qualified in her mind.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tom petulantly.

++

Voldemort stood silently with Severus as He waited for his trusted Death Eaters to assemble. He didn't speak. He didn't move. Neither did Severus. He bore the repeated burning of his Mark stoically, but Voldemort still wondered about his loyalty to the cause. Voldemort was deep in thought about this Death Eater named Severus Snape.

After Severus report on Dumbledore, Voldemort was nervous about everything coming together in time. _Damn Dumbledore_, He thought, _always rushing Him._ _Always managing to best Him. Not this time. Not with Snape on His side._  

++

When He had first risen, Voldemort had wanted nothing more than to crush the soul of His faithless Death Eater Severus Snape. It was Wormtail who had stayed His hand. 

"He hates Harry Potter," said Wormtail. "I think he blames the boy for Lily's death. He could be brought about, I think, and he would be a valuable asset. I am not going to be able to tell you the goings on in Hogwarts Castle, but he could, and you are going to need a spy there."

"He saved Harry Potter when I, through Quirrel, would have killed him," hissed Voldemort, but he considered Wormtail's words. As much as he wanted to dismiss them, He knew Wormtail was right. He needed a spy in Dumbledore's lair.

"And what did he have to gain by killing the boy then?" asked Wormtail. "I have lived with the Weasley boys for twelve years. I have lived at Hogwarts. I know Severus Snape.  He does nothing that does not benefit Severus Snape. If you offer him more than Dumbledore, he will turn instantly. Trust me," said Wormtail. "His loyalties are flexible."

"How was it that Severus didn't go to Azkaban, when the Accident happened?" Voldemort asked. He never referred to the night at the Potters as anything other than the Accident. It was inconceivable that he had lost so much to them. They couldn't have done it on purpose. It was just another example of blind Gryffindor luck.

"Dumbledore came and bailed him out," said Wormtail. "He took the stand and testified in his behalf. Who wouldn't claim loyalty to the one who was offering him freedom from Azkaban?  Like I said, he turned because Dumbledore offered him freedom."

"But Dumbledore would not have saved him unless he had proved his worth before then," said Voldemort, his anger growing. "Unless—was there a prophecy?" asked Voldemort, thinking that was the only way Dumbledore would save a soul such as Severus' unless Severus had betrayed him earlier, and _that_ he would not forgive.

"I don't know," answered Wormtail. "But Severus is a Legilimens, if that counts for anything. I didn't know that before the Accident."

"A Legilimens?" questioned Voldemort. "How do you know?" He had never paid much attention to the junior Death Eater before the accident.  Now, perhaps, was the time to investigate Severus Snape.

"I told you, I lived with the Weasley boys," said Wormtail. "It was too much to assume that it was mere coincidence which caused the boys to be caught with the simplest misdemeanors. They could put nothing past him, and they are not stupid, especially Percy. Yet Snape caught every student, every time one misbehaved."

A Legilimens in Dumbledore's lair would certainly be an asset. He had to agree with Wormtail on that point. "What would tempt him?" asked Voldemort.

"I don't know," said Wormtail. Thus began the campaign to turn Severus Snape from the side of Light, and miraculously, the next time He called his Death Eaters, Severus Snape showed up in his Circle.  He had _Crucioed_ him, of course. He had to be punished for ignoring the earlier calling, and then, when the Circle dispersed, he kept Snape with him.

"_A year from Hufflepuff's loss_," Snape had quoted. "I suppose that will be the next school year. I will find the child for you."

"The Sorting Hat will determine who the Prophecy Child is," said Voldemort.

"But then, Dumbledore will know too. Wouldn't it be better if you hid this information from Dumbledore and kept it for yourself?"

"Yes," agreed Voldemort thoughtfully.

"If the Hat were destroyed, no one would know who the Prophecy Child was, but I could find the Child, if I searched each mind as they came into my classroom.  I'm a Legilimens."

"I know," said Voldemort.

Snape was surprised. He had thought that his revelation would gain him some points; however the Dark Lord was intrigued by Severus' plan. If Dumbledore did not know who the Prophecy Child was, he could not protect the child. Voldrmort smiled. "You will not destroy the Hat," said Voldemort. "Instead, you will do the spell I teach you. The Hat will become amenable to you will. You will need my wand, the wand of the heir of Salazar Slytherin. We shall trade."

Snape nodded. "Yes, Master," he answered.

Snape took his wand from his robe and turned it, offering it to the Dark Lord without hesitation, and Voldemort took it. Snape was now completely defenseless in his Master's presence. Voldemort took the moment to search the man, for fear, but there was none, only a dark calm that intrigued the Dark Lord.  In that moment, Voldemort decided to give the man his grudging trust. He handed Severus his own wand, and the man pocketed it. It crossed Voldemort's mind that he would be able to use Severus' wand to kill Harry Potter.  

"Do not disappoint me," said Voldemort.

"I won't," he said. "You will be amazed." Severus' dark eyes were still locked on Voldemort's red ones. "I crave a boon," he said.

The man had guts; Voldemort had to give him that. He had skipped the first meeting, barely managed to survive the first few moments in the Circle, he had done nothing to prove himself, and he was asking for favors.

"What is it?" snapped Voldemort.

"I see you managed to use the potion recipe I left for you," said Severus, purposefully reminding Voldemort of his usefulness.

"Yes?" asked Voldemort coldly.

"You made changes."

"Yes," said Voldemort again.

"I want to know what they are," said Severus, meeting his eyes.

"Do you?" said Voldemort. "I don't believe you should live forever, Severus. I alone claim that power."

"I don't want to live forever," said Severus. "I want to raise the dead."

"Interesting," said Voldemort. "Do you realize you have just given me a weapon to use against you?"

"One does not use a weapon against one's allies," said Severus.

"You are not an ally," snarled Voldemort. "You are a pawn. **_Crucio!"_**  When Severus stopped screaming, Voldemort moved close to his face. "If you ever deem equality with me again, you will die a very painful death," said Voldemort viciously. "Do you understand?" 

"Yes, Master." Severus nodded and licked his lips.  "One thing," Severus persisted.  

"What?" Voldemort turned back to him incensed—and amazed. 

"Dumbledore has asked me to spy for him and the side of Light.  I need a tidbit to feed him if I am to gain his trust," gasped Severus.

++

Voldemort now sat with a few of his trusted followers discussing possibilities and listening to their reports.  

"I want her," he said in a petulant voice that sounded almost like a whining child's, but his voice changed as his eyes met each of the Death Eaters in turn:  Peter, Lucius, Severus, Walden, Valeriana, Narcissa, Carman. "I want her brought to me whole and sane and I will turn her to our side.  Now, tell me how we can do it."  

As his eyes met theirs he was reminded once again that trusted Ravenclaws were in short supply among his Death Eaters. He still didn't know who he would use for the key role next month. If Laurel had been alive, she would have been the logical choice. _Marshall?_  He wondered. _No._ Although Marshall was certainly intelligent enough to do the task, he was not trustworthy enough. Walden was intelligent enough, but didn't have the nerve.  _Severus?_ Yes, Severus could do it, but he needed Severus in his own skin elsewhere, especially with the new developments with Dumbledore. Narcissa or Lucius were possibilities, but he was loathed to separate them from Valeriana. He knew her thoughts still spiraled down into Azkaban at times and then she was no longer reliable. Peter wasn't even a consideration. _One of the children_, he wondered. _Who had the maturity to handle the task?_ He sighed. This decision would have to wait.

"No ideas from my most trusted Death Eaters?" growled Voldemort. "Perhaps I should replace you with someone better—"

He felt the flashes of fear, quickly squelched. After all, they had given him their lives.  They thought that would keep them safe. Only Valeriana sat smiling at him, supremely confident of her place in his favor. He was beginning to wonder if she enjoyed their little _Crucio_ sessions as much as he did. That could be a problem.  

"Ideas!" he said again. All of them knew to bring up the idea of failure would mean a killing curse. It had happened before during their brainstorming sessions and he had summarily weeded out the doubters.

"I'm not sure why you think she is important to us," said Carman. "She's a clumsy headstrong child that will only bring you grief, Master."

"I seem to remember your saying the same thing about Valeriana," remarked Voldemort.

"Mother, you didn't," said Valeriana.

"You never said that about me, did you Mother?" asked Narcissa, emboldened by her sister's interruption of the proceedings.

"No," said Carman. "You and Laurel were always the ones with sense."

"Topic!" snarled Voldemort, tapping his wand on the table and everyone jumped.

"If you want her," said Narcissa, "you have to lure her with something she wants."

"The last time it was a man," remembered Valeriana.

Narcissa snorted. "You call that red faced monkey a man?"

"No, but she did," said Valeriana with a smirk.

"Money, power, those never work with Gryffindors," said Lucius.  

"How about fame?" asked Wormtail.

"Knowledge?" put in Severus Snape.

"No, she isn't that bright," said Carman. "Actually, below average except for her gift."

"How hungry is she for recognition?" asked Lucius.

"I think that's a possibility," agreed Voldemort. "The thirst to prove herself is strong. I felt it the moment I entered the room, but how?" he mused.

"Saving someone?" asked Severus.  

"That's why she became an Auror in the first place," agreed Walden McNair.

"Yes, agreed," Voldemort. "Someone young and defenseless and deadly. I have just the wizards for this task," said Voldemort.

"Who?" asked Valeriana.

"Your sons," said Voldemort and Valeriana rubbed her hands in glee. 

"I knew they were destined for great things when I felt Ethan send the Mark when I was in Azkaban. It is a great honor, to kill the first of the campaign," said Valeriana.

"I thought you wanted her alive," said Severus.

"I do," said Voldemort. "Let's not get hasty. Anyway, hopefully Judson will have the first kill, if he finds some motivation."

"He looked motivated today, under your _Crucio_," observed Valeriana with a girlish giggle. 

"Carman, have the twins shared a spell yet?" asked Voldemort.

Carman sighed. "I've been discouraging it," she said. "But I'm sure they can do it. When do you want them ready?"

Voldemort laughed. "Do you realize that is the same comment you made about your girls." 

"I will speak to them," said Carman.

"They will be honored," added Valeriana.

"They will be sparking," commented Lucius.

Voldemort shook his head. "They are Death Eaters. They will take their assignments in the circle. You will say nothing, Carman."

"Yes, Master."

"But Carman, you will have them ready to share a spell—a powerful spell."

An Apparition close to the doorway caused Lucius to pull his wand.

"What was that?" MacNair wondered, coming to his feet.

"An Apparition," said Lucius. "No," he corrected, "two of them—children at a distance—one following the other."  The sound of another Apparation was heard.

"The Prophecy Child?" said Carman worriedly.

"She can't Apparate," said Snape.  "I forbid her and the Weasley girl from my class as ordered, unless one of you deigned to teach her—"

"Something's wrong," said MacNair but Voldemort shook his head.  

"I don't feel any fear from them. I feel—fun!"

"Appariation tag," said Lucius.

"Yes," Voldemort smiled. "Let them play. It will sharpen their skills, but I would like to know the progress of the game," he said thoughtfully. "How many of prey the original predators caught and who of the prey had the most dexterity."

"I could find out for you," said Valeriana.

"Yes," said Voldemort and the syllable had barely left his mouth when she Apparated.

"She won't be back any time soon," predicted Lucius.

"She's just trying to make up for fourteen years of lost life," said Narcissa.

"I know" replied Voldemort. "Narcissa, go after her. When the prey are down to five or ten children, Apparate to me.

"Yes, Master. Anything else, Master?"

His lipless mouth broke into a smile. "Don't get caught."

"Oh," complained Narcissa. "I wasn't going to be prey," she said and Disapparated.

"Carman," he said, "remain with me. The rest of you are dismissed until called."  He waited until he and Carman were alone. "I want you to think carefully about her," he said. "I don't want to kill her, but if she cannot be turned, that is what I will do. She is too valuable to ignore. I will need to know if your grandsons are not ready to complete the task."

"Yes, Master. They will be ready, Master." 

"You were not."

She hissed through her teeth. "Ancient history and I have rectified that mistake. I will keep a close eye—"

"You will not be going."

"Master, they are capable, but without an adult—"

"You will not be going," he repeated. "I will."

"Yes, Master."

He touched her face and listened for her thoughts. _She didn't want to let them go.  She was afraid for them._

"What?" He asked. "After all this time, Carman, don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Master," she said aloud, but there was doubt in her thoughts.

++

A few seconds later, Draco walked out of the Infirmary looking completely refreshed.  His hair was neatly combed and he was wearing his customary smirk. "I think Samara was expecting company," he said, throwing the door wide open. "Don't lurk in the doorway, Weasel."

"You!" said Ginny taking a punch at him, but he had already Disapparated—again. He was infuriating. "How do you put up with him?" snapped Ginny as she entered the room with Samara again.  

"I manage," Samara said dreamily, the air of wandless magic all around her.

"I still have to get even with him for that _Stupefy_ spell." Said Ginny as she stroked Visha.

"You could have left, Ginny," said Samara, and Ginny felt her irritation with Draco grow to include Samara, but she sighed. It wouldn't do to alienate her only friend in this place, regardless to what she thought about Draco. "You're hopeless," said Ginny throwing up her hands.  

Samara smirked at her and Gavin Apparated and Disapparated again.

Two Durmstrang upper classmen popped in. "Excuse us, ladies," said the first as he levitated the other above Samara's bed.  Then the second also levitated his companion and when they were both airborne, the Disapparated.

"Oh, that was nifty!" exclaimed Tom and Ginny sniggered.

"That was sort of strange, wasn't it?" said Samara as two Durmstrang girls Apparated in and started to search for signatures.

"I know they came here," said the first.

"Maybe they walked out," said the second.

"Where did they go?" asked the first.

"We can't tell. That's cheating," said Ginny.

"What do you care?" asked one

"Why aren't you playing?" asked the other

"I can't Apparate," said Ginny.  

"And how old are you?" asked the first.

"Fourteen."

"What is she, brain dead?" muttered the second one with a sneer.

"Like Goyle," whispered the first.

"Must be something in the water at Hogwarts."

Ginny pulled her wand.

"Ginny Love, calm down.  They were vocalizing, but they weren't talking loud enough for you to hear.  It will be very suspicious if you get angry."

"But—" she wondered.

_"Legilimency," said Tom.  "You're definitely getting better."_

"This is what Voldemort hears?" she thought horrified.

_"When you don't shield," replied Tom._

Samara pointed up and the two witches immediately levitated and Disapparated.

Ginny was fuming.  "Next game of search and curse," she promised herself.  "Next game of search and curse, those girls are going to feel my wrath."

Tom laughed. "You don't know any good curses, Ginny Love. You don't even have any wrath."

"But you do, Tom," she thought.

"We could do it now," said Tom.  "I could catch them."

Ginny ignored him.

Samara laughed.

As Gavin once again chose to Apparate in front of them, Ginny stopped him. "Don't you have another place to Apparate to?" 

"Sure. But I can't Apparate wandlessly so the best thing to do is double back and make a lot of your signatures in the same place.  It confuses the Aurors—I mean—the predators.  I got to go."

Just a moment later, Draco popped back in, hair blowing once again. "Take a trip?" he asked Samara, extending his hand.  

"Of course," she said, pushing several of her basilisks off of her lap.  "Watch them for me Ginny?" she asked.

"Sure," Ginny said.  "But—"

Samara and Draco both Disapparated.

Ginny waited a couple minutes, which grew into several minutes and she started to worry. Samara's magic wasn't up to actually playing this game. Surely Draco knew that. 

Gavin Apparated in again, but this time he stopped to talk. "Hi," he brushed his straight brown hair out of his unique golden eyes.

"You're Gavin, aren't you?" asked Ginny. "Pritch's friend."

"Yes," he answered. "Now you have me at a disadvantage," he continued. "You know my name, but I do not know yours."

"It's Ginny," she said, stroking several of Samara's basilisks and letting them gather on her lap.   

"Ginny?" he repeated. "Short for Virginia?"

"Yes," she agreed, as he sat on the edge of the vacant bed.

"Where's the other girl?" he asked.  

"She took a little trip with Draco," said Ginny.

"Is he still prey?" asked Gavin

"I think so," said Ginny. "You?"  

"No, I got caught," he said. "Valeriana! Can you tell me that's fair?"

"What? She's playing?" said Ginny shocked.

"Well, you know, she's weird, but that's what I thought.  She's an adult, so I stopped when she told me to."  

"She asked me, 'How many prey are left?' And I stopped to answer her and I said, 'Me and Draco and I don't know about Maura.  She was playing, but then she disappeared. She's probably just hiding somewhere. It is her house, you know. And there's just a few others'—and bam!  

"She says, 'My prey' and I'm caught." 

"I told her, too, I said, 'That's so unfair!'  The bitch—"

"So what did she say?"

"Well she got that mad gleam in her eye and started caressing her wand like she was in love with it, and I didn't wait around to see what she was going to do."

"Eww.  I don't think I would have either," said Ginny.  "If I could Apparate, that is—"

"So why can't you Apparate?" he asked. "Christmas curse?"

"No, I just—um—haven't learned yet."  Ginny considered whether she should tell Gavin that Snape had banned her from his class.  

"Why should you tell him that?" asked Tom.  "He doesn't need to know, and he certainly isn't you friend."

Ginny bit her lip.

"Oh, it's easy," said the hawk. "Loads easier than animagus."

"Speaking of animagus, where's Millicent?" asked Ginny, changing the subject.

"She's playing," replied Gavin, moving closer to the bed. "But she was one of the first caught. Her hand is hurting her."  

Ginny suddenly realized that he wasn't making pleasant conversation with her; he was waiting for Draco, but before she could think of a thing to do, Draco Apparated in with Samara and deposited her on the bed. The hawk dove for him, but Draco Disapparated.   Immediately, the hawk followed.

Samara was giggling and her hair was blowing wildly.  "Oh that was fun!" she exclaimed. "There are predators everywhere!"

"You better release the magic," said Ginny as the basilisks clustered over her enjoying the magic.  

"When Draco comes back," Samara promised.

"You don't need him to release the magic," countered Ginny.

"But it's so much more fun that way," said Samara

A veela Apparated in and looked at the signatures. "Bloody 'ell. Vere iz 'e? I know I am not zat far behind 'im. 'Es getting tired."

"Draco?" said Samara. "He was slower because he was Apparating with me."

"Oh, I vill never catch 'em now!" she moaned, examining the signatures. 

There were so many signatures in the room that Ginny could feel the vibration of magic.  

"O-o," the veela exclaimed, frustrated. "Zere are too many signatures. Vere vas the last person standing when 'e Apparated?  

"Right there," said Samara, giving the veela the spot where the hawk had Apparated from, not Draco

"How did you remember that," asked Ginny, "with everyone popping in here? I couldn't tell you where one of them might be."

"I didn't have to remember. I can see traces of the magic left behind.  The darker the images are the more recent.  I would be so awesome at this game."

"This goes way past seeing auras, Samara."  

"I guess it does," Samara agreed.

The two girls just looked at each other in amazement.

Two more people Apparated in and checked the room one going to the spot where the veela had just left. "I'll take this one. You take that one."

"That one was a predator," said Samara.

"Thanks," said the girl with a grin and she followed her companion.

"I think they want to make me feel like I'm part of the game. It's sweet really," said Samara

"Well, they're making me feel stupid," said Ginny.

In the next minute the two girls and the two boys that had levitated above the bed returned in a group. "There. There. There and There," said one of the girls pointing, and all four Disapparated.

"They're hunting in packs now," said Samara.

"Rather like lions instead of snakes," said Ginny with a smile, but her smile faded as she felt the tingle of her Dark Mark beginning to burn.

"What is it?' asked Samara.

"Dark Mark," said Ginny softly, turning towards the door.

Draco popped in, kissed Samara quickly and released his magic. He took a deep breath composing himself and then called, "Hey Weasel, wait."

Ginny turned as Draco crossed the several steps to her. "No point in hurting longer than you have to, Weasel," he said holding out his hand.  She looked at it for a moment wondering if this was a Malfoy offering a hand of friendship to a Weasley, and then the pain of the Dark Mark inched up and she put her hand in his.

"Ahh-Game's over," complained Gavin as he Apparated into the room.

"Guess so," said Draco. A second later, the hawk dove for him, but Draco and Ginny were already gone.

+++

Hey you want to review quick because the next chapter is fun! 15 reviews to the next chapter.

Answers to Reviews

Claret345:  Welcome back.  I always love your reviews because you really tell me what you like.  Sometimes I think people miss some of my fun lines, but with your quotes, I know you get them.  Yeah!   I was thinking, maybe you are right, Draco shouldn't have put initials on the owl note, but sometimes some of the readers miss what I think is very obvious.  It's hard to know how much I should reveal sometimes.  Maybe I shouldn't have put the initials, but then I probably would have had reviews saying, who's the owl from.  LOL.

Becky:  Glad to see you're back.

Harpy:  Shaking in anticipation are you?  Where have your reviews been then?

Dragonheart2:  Thanks for the review.  You always have such inciteful things to say.  Do you know if Fanfic took Cassandra Claire's Draco Veritas off or did she just move it to Fiction Alley?  Who knows.  I agree, it is one of the very best in Draco fics.  Other than mine, of course.  You have read Draco Malfoy and the Goblet of Fire, right?

Trillium:

Tiamat Warcraft:  Math doesn't whisper, it snarls. Shudder.  Next chapter will be one of your favorites in this fic.  I know, because it's one of my favs.

Silverfox 1:  Well, we never did say Harry was going to win any intelligence contests.  Sorry if you thought he was stupid, but –er, isn't he?

Emma-Trelawney:  Glad you are back.  If Volde finds out Tom is in Ginny's head, Ginny is a dead girl.  Do you want Ginny to die?

Ennui deMorte:  More awesome Snape.  Of course your Snape it awesome too.  Those of you who haven't seen Ennui's fic, go check it out.  Look up her penname to find it.  Her Snape is great, and even her Draco is good.  Since I'm her beta, I'm not letting her torture him too badly.  LOL.

Kemenran:  Inciteful as always.

Jager:  Jolly good review.  Thanks.


	14. CH 14 Only Children

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 14**

Only Children 

**Disclaimer**:  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  No money is made from this Fanfic.  Thanks JK

**Special Thanks**: to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job helping to make these chapters better than I could make them alone.  Thanks ennui!

++

Hermione propped her stocking feet up on the new white couch and read aloud from the book.  It says here, that "_when Herpo the Foul first hatched the basilisks he thought they were filled with bloodlust, but later realized that they mellowed considerably after eating the hatching toad. Some common ailments can be dealt with by a competent wizard, while--"_

"Oh, can you quit reading about the basilisks?" complained Ron.

"Alright," said Hermione, turning to another page in Harry's new book. "_How about Phoenixes? _It says: _'There have been numerous instances of a phoenix saving the life of his wizard by intercepting killing or other dangerous curses, it behooves the wizard to take extra care with his new phoenix. Although several permutations of phoenix are available in the wild, tamed phoenixes are rare and only one breed has deigned to allay itself with the wizarding community. This is a monumentous magical event.  When the wizard dies the phoenix usually returns to the wild.  On rare occasions, a previously imprinted phoenix will choose a new companion.'  _It says_, 'The phoenix is a loyal creature and will not leave his wizard for any reason other than death; however, immediately after the death of his wizard, the phoenix may choose a new companion and experience a burn. See the aforementioned pages 549 through 557 for after burn care, and page 526 through 548 for a pictorial explanation."  _Hermione started to leaf through the book and continued reading the section on  _'after burn care'.    "After burn is a critical time and the wizard should follow the after burn care directions carefully. If the new companion fails to feed his phoenix appropriately at this time, it can vanish into the Elementals.  The phoenix is most responsive to the core magic of his wizard which must be pure or the phoenix will leave him, choosing a more appropriate companion.'"_

"Hmm,"  Hermione droned into silence, obviously reading silently.

"Hermione," said Ron, and in response to his question she began reading again.  

"Oh, sorry," she said.  "_'Phoenixes must be kept fit and healthy or the healing power of their tears will be depleted.  It is the responsibility of the wizard or witch who has a phoenix as their familiar to care for it properly.  It's strength is directly related to the magic of its wizard protector.'" _

"You've read this part already," said Ron.

"She read the whole book," said Harry dryly.  "Twice."

"Well, what else do you want to do?" said Hermione, snapping the book shut.

"I'm going to send Hedwig back to Sirius," said Harry.  "Maybe he'll let us come over to his house."

"What good will that do?" asked Ron. "He'll just start with that _you're only children_ speech.  We can't go after the girls without the portkey.  Maybe we should just show up on Malfoy's doorstep."

"Don't be stupid, Ron," said Hermione. "We just have to wait until we get back to Hogwarts."

"And you know everything!" snapped Ron.

"I know that showing up at Malfoy Manor is pretty stupid!" snapped Hermione, tears starting to gather in her eyes.

"Awww  bloody hell," swore Ron, reaching for Hermione, but she pushed him away.  

"Don't you try to sweet talk me, Ron Weasley," she said ducking out from under his arm.  "It won't work!"  She turned and stalked from the room.

"It always worked before," muttered Ron.

"{Hisssuss?}"  asked Shesha from Harry's wrist, and Harry spoke in parseltongue, telling her she couldn't possibly be hungry yet, and she didn't need to eat.

"{But I like to,}" Shesha said petulantly.

"{You're turning into a zis,}" said Harry, indicating a cat, or another creature who liked to hunt for fun and play with their food.

"{I am not a zis,}" said Shesha angrily.

Harry chuckled at her, and then apologized. "{Still friends?}" He asked. "{tsezz?}"

"{Bitemates! Tsezz! Of course still tsezz! Always tsezz!}"

Harry looked up from her to find Ron glaring at him. "Do you have to talk to that _thing_?" he asked.

"{Hisssuss!}" said Shesha, scenting Ron.

"{No. Not Hisssuss,)" Harry told Shesha.  "(Tsezz!}" 

Ron made a sound of disgust and stomped out of the room.

Harry sighed and looked at his new watch.  It had been a Christmas present from Hermione.  He decided he'd better go try to play peacemaker between Hermione and Ron.  They only had a few hours before they had to meet Draco at the Muggle library, and he wanted to present a united front.

++

Harry and Ron paced through the Muggle library, causing just as much havoc as they usually caused at its wizarding counterpart.  The librarian frowned at them several times and finally came over to their table and told them to be quiet.  Harry was quite sure that Hermione would have an earful to say if she trusted herself to talk at all. Instead she got them a collection of books and put them on the corner table.  For a while they leafed through the Muggle books Hermione had brought. Ron was fascinated by the fact that the pictures didn't move, no matter how much you poked them.  He collected several more children's picture books; just to make sure the color photographs didn't move any better than the black and white drawings. 

"They don't," Hermione assured him.

Hermione had curled up in a wing chair in the corner with a novel, saying she had started it last summer and then had to go to school so she never finished it.  Ron began pulling books on Muggle electronics from the shelf.  "My Dad would be so impressed if I could fix the computer he got last year."

"I don't think any of those books are going to help you to fix it," predicted Harry, as he rearranged the well-fed and now sleeping Shesha on his arm. "If it was that easy, any Muggle could fix a computer.  It's a specialized job, like wand making or potions master."

"Oh," said Ron disappointed.

"But are you sure it's broken?" asked Harry. "Maybe you just didn't connect all the pieces properly. I remember Aunt Petunia trying to connect Dudley's—" Harry broke off mid-sentence and looked at the wall of books. "You have to connect everything right," he finished.  Harry settled down to discover the differences between soccer and Quidditch, and Ron joined him.

A slight stir at the door caused them to look up. Draco and Lauren had just entered and stood at the door whispering.

"Draco, stop fidgeting," whispered Lauren.

"Malfoys _do not_ fidget," said Draco haughtily.

"Then I don't know what you call it," hissed Lauren. "Quit that!"  She slapped his hand away from his crotch.

"You call it pants that are too tight.  You didn't transfigure them right," accused Draco, continuing to pull at them.

"They're jeans.  They're supposed to fit that way."

"Why would someone wear something so uncomfortable?  Even Muggles have to have some brains don't they?"

"Stop it. You're embarrassing me," said Lauren grabbing a hold of Draco's hand, and holding it. She stood grinning at the trio. "There they are—"

Hermione, still sniggering, stood up to wave them over to the table in the corner. Harry and Ron were practically in hysterics, laughing and the Librarian glared at them. Harry put his head down, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"Shh," said Lauren. "You're making a scene."

"They're just Muggles. Who cares?" snapped Draco. "Anyway, I'm not making a scene.  They are."  He gestured to the trio as he wrapped his coat around himself and flung himself into one of the chairs.

"Aren't you going to take you coat off?" Lauren asked Draco as she sat with the trio.

"No," he said, his eyes daring her to challenge him.

++

"So what's your problem Potter?  I thought these rescue things were second nature to you, Gryffindors," drawled Draco.

"You could do it yourself.  If you're so clever, Draco," said Ron.

"In the past, I haven't had Sirius to contend with," explained Harry.

"Hmmm, I understand," said Draco. "It's the Black blood. Difficult to over come."  He smirked knowingly at Harry.

"I've heard you're related to Sirius," said Harry. "What a pity—"

"Not any longer," said Draco. "He was burned out of the tapestry. Torched right off of the family tree.  That's what you do with dead wood, you know."

Harry sprang to his feet, and Shesha awoke with a soft hiss.

"Temper, Temper, Potter.  Don't want to get the Muggles all upset." 

"Draco, why do you do that?" complained Lauren.  "We came here for a reason.  Let's stick to it."

"Yes," agreed Hermione, while Harry calmed his now agitated basilisk. "We thought we would have to wait until we were back at Hogwarts, but Harry just got some additional news—"

"Sneaking around without an Invisibility Cloak, no doubt? That could be dangerous, you know, Potter," said Draco.

"So why don't you just give back the other piece," said Harry.

Draco smirked. "Why don't you—"

"Why don't you quit it!" snapped Lauren in a harsh whisper. "We're getting nothing done with this bickering!  If you want my help, Draco, stop being a prat! And you Gryffindors stop baiting him. "

"Humph," Draco said moodily, but he didn't interrupt while Hermione explained the problem of the anti-magic wards that was placed around her parents' house.

"There's something else," Harry said, glancing at the scowling librarian.  "Dumbledore knows the location of the Snow Castle."

"I thought that was what you meant in the letter Lauren forwarded to me, but then I decided I must have misunderstood.  No one knows the location of the Snow Castle, not even his most trusted Death Eaters, so how do you know this?"

"Heard Snape and Dumbledore talking," said Harry.

"You were mistaken," said Draco.  "He can't know."

"I know what I heard," said Harry coldly

"If you are right, we should hurry," said Draco urgently. "And we can't wait until you are back at Hogwarts anyway."

"Why not?" asked Hermione. "You Apparated into the Gryffindor Common Room before," she said.

Lauren raised an eyebrow at her cousin, and Draco shrugged.  "I can't do that now.  I think it might be a little suspicious if I Apparate into the Gryff common room, grab Potter and Apparate back out. Even if he appears to come with me voluntarily, someone is bound to call out McGonagall and Dumbledore. Not only that, what if they get the Apparition wards within the school fixed.  Then we will really be screwed.  I can't go traipsing about the whole castle hunting for Potter while my Dark Mark is burning." 

"That's true," said Lauren. "It's not like he knows where you are every minute of the day."

For a brief second the thought of the Maurader's map crossed Harry's mind, immediately dismissed.  Malfoy already had a piece of his Invisibility Cloak.  He wasn't getting his hands on the Maurader's Map. Maybe a trade, thought Harry. No! Both the Map and the Cloak were his and before this adventure was over, he was going to have them both back.

"What do you think, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Ah—"  He looked at her blankly.

"For Merlin's sake, Potter, try to pay attention," snarled  Draco.  "We're not studying for a bloody test here.  This is life and death:  yours, mine and Samara's.  Now if you want to get yourself killed that's quite all right with me, but I'd like to keep my skin."

"We think we have to do it now," said Hermione.  "We'll work around the wards."

"We're going back to Hogwarts in a couple of days," said Harry.  "He might not even call you."

"He'll call," said Draco. "Lots of things going on. He might even call before the day is over, so let's just get this done."

"Ok," said Hermione.  "What exactly do we need to do this now?"

Lauren pulled a small folded piece of parchment from her coat pocket, and after a quick glance at the circulation desk, she tapped the edge with her finger and whispered, _"**Engorgio,"**_ and the parchment grew to appropriate writing size.  She reached back into her pocket pulling out a quill, but Hermione stopped her, handing her a ball point pen.  She looked at it for a minute, and Hermione explained, "The ink's inside of it already."

Lauren began listing 

ward perimeter 

2.

"So how are you going to know Draco is at your house?" asked Lauren.

"He can just come up to the door and ring the doorbell," said Hermione. "That's how Muggles do it."

"Muggle technology?" asked Draco. "No."

"A doorbell hardly classifies as Muggle technology," said Harry.

"I can't use Muggle technology," said Draco.

"What?" asked Ron.

"I can't use Muggle technology," said Draco.  "It will spoil my perfect record."

"You're kidding right?" said Hermione.

"No," said Draco. "I've never used any Muggle technology."

"Fine," said Hermione.  "Close your hand into a fist like this, and knock. That isn't muggle technology."

"Ok," said Draco. "I can do that."

"You might have to knock pretty hard so we can hear you," warned Hermione.

"If you hand doesn't work," said Ron "You can always use your head.  It should be hard enough to make quite a noise."

"Very funny, Weasel," said Draco.

Lauren smirked and Draco glared at her.

"Or you can just conjure some nice elegant Malfoy chimes.  That will alert us to your presence. Of course, it will also alert the Aurors!" continued Ron nastily. 

"_I_ will not alert the Aurors with my magic," said Draco coldly. "I don't know that we'll be able to say the same for you. Of course, your magic is so pitiful; the Aurors might not notice that it _is_ magic."

"Alright, I think we're ready to go," said Lauren, shrinking the parchment that she had taken notes on, and picking up her coat.  "Let's go to your house see where the wards are Hermione."

"Hermione?" said a girl at a neighboring table.

"Hermione Granger? Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you since Primary School.She pulled Hermione into a quick hug and dragged her over to the table where several other girls sat.  "How's that private school you go to now?"

"Oh, awesome," said Hermione. "These are—some of my—friends. Harry, Ron, Lauren and Draco."

"Draco? That's an unusual name. Is it a nickname?"

"No," said Draco coolly.

"I like it," said one of the other girls her eyes traveling from Draco to Harry and back again. "Nice jeans," she said softly.

And Ron turned a laugh into a choking cough.

"We have to go," said Hermione, dragging them from the library.  "Nice seeing you again," she called over her shoulder.

++

Once they were outside, Draco started shivering and did a warming charm on the coat he was wearing.  

"No wonder you're cold," scolded Lauren. "Sitting there all that time bundled in that coat. You can't leave the warming charm on when we get near Hermione's house though," said Lauren. "It might set off the magic alarms."

"I know that," snapped Draco.. "The Gryffindor stupidity is rubbing off on you Lauren. Take care."

She edged forward to walk with Hermione, and Hermione smiled comradely. "I'm glad you came to help us," she said. "Thanks. How did Draco talk you into it?"

"He didn't have to talk me into it," said Lauren coolly. "Contrary to Gryffindor opinion, not all Slytherins are slaves to the Dark Lord."

"I'm sorry," said Hermione. "I just thought—I mean—_we all saw_—Alvin Nott when the girls were taken."

"Leave Alvin out of this," snarled Lauren. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"Leave him out of this?" said Hermione. "He was in control of the dementors! We saw him—"

"_I said, stop_," hissed Lauren, grabbing Hermione's shoulder, magic sizzling.

"Lauren! We're too close to the ward!" warned Draco, pulling her hands off of Hermione, and shielding her magic away from the ward.

"But he's your boyfriend, isn't he?—"  began Hermione rubbing her shoulder..

"Yes, he is," said Lauren, her gray eyes stormy. "But he has enough trouble caring for that bloody Pandora's box without your damned Gryffindor rumors about Dark Wizards."

"He took over when his father was hurt," said Hermione. "That's enough—"

"Hurt?" shouted Lauren angrily. "His soul was sucked out. Alvin saw it! Eldon Nott is dead."

Hermione reached out to Lauren and then let her hands fall to her sides. "No. No. He isn't." said Hermione earnestly. "Didn't they—Madam Pomfrey—tell—anyone? Surely?  Didn't Dumbledore tell Alvin that he's alive? They had to—"

"What are you babbling about, you stupid Gryff?" snapped Lauren. "No one survives a dementor's kiss. Once the soul is sucked out, the body dies!"

"He's not dead," agreed Harry. "We saw him. He was in the infirmary after—after the girls were taken. Dumbledore did something—something to pull his soul away from his body and then—I don't know—put it back."

"That's not possible," whispered Lauren.

"Not without a potion," said Draco thoughtfully, "and it's Dark. Unequivocally Dark—messing with souls."

"Sounds like something Voldemort would do, not Dumbledore," said Lauren.

"You're right, Lauren," said Draco, removing the warming spell from his coat. "Are you sure Dumbledore did the spell, Potter, and not Snape?"

"No. It was Dumbledore," insisted Harry.

"Draco," said Lauren. "If he's alive, we have to tell Alvin, and Alvin will want to find him."

"I know," said Draco. "Let's do one thing at a time."

"We'll help," promised Harry and Ron poked him, whispering, "What did you say that for?"

++

"Do you have any idea how close to the house Draco can Apparate?" Lauren asked.

"Not sure," said Harry. "But Sirius Apparated across the street. I'd say a couple of doors down should do it. Maybe three to be safe."

"Two," said Draco, gesturing. "Under that tree"

They had stopped several doorways away from Hermione's house. "Is that where you live?" he asked gesturing to a brick driveway that wound up a hill.

"Yes," said Hermione. "Top of the drive is the house."

"Stamina charm?" suggested Lauren.

"Probably a good idea," sighed Draco, looking at the hill. "I'll definitely have to run."

"Run?" said Ron. "Why?"

"Dark Mark, Weasel. It hurts. Ok? And the longer it takes me to do this, the more it hurts, until it turns my bloody arm into a torch!"

"Nice friends you have there, Malfoy," retorted Ron.  

Draco didn't answer; he just picked up the pace of his walking and left Ron behind. 

"Draco," said Lauren. "How did you know that was Hermione's house?"

"I can feel the ward," said Draco softly, holding his hands out in front of him sensing. 

"You can _feel _the ward?" Lauren was incredulous. "From this far away?"

"Can't you?" asked Draco.  

"No," said Lauren.

"Must be some residual magic from Samara," said Draco. "I don't think I should go any closer sensing it though, I might set it off, especially with wandless magic. It would classify as Dark."  

Lauren nodded and Draco brushed the magic from his hands and released the excess.  

"I don't think you will set off the wards coming into the house," said Hermione. "Unless your Dark Mark—"

"Don't worry about it," said Draco. "I'm not coming in.  Potter's coming out, and you'd better be ready to run, Potter."

++

It was just after supper when the owl came. Harry recognized it instantly as a Malfoy owl. Huge, black and powerful, it tapped insistently on the window. If it tapped any harder, Harry thought, it would shatter the window.  Hermione opened the window, allowing a cold damp breeze into the room and the bird flew immediately to Harry. A moment later, Harry had pulled the wet note off of the owl, thinking it was unlike Draco to neglect to use an _impervious_ spell on the parchment when it was raining. The parchment had a single word scrawled on it. "Go!"

Harry stared at it for a second longer than he needed to, and then he scrambled to his feet, thinking that of course, the owl flew faster than Draco ran, but not by much.  Shoving his feet into his shoes and reaching for his coat and his wand, he turned a determined face toward Hermione and Ron, just as Draco's pounding fist hit the door.

Ron and Harry reached the door at the same time and flung it open. 

"Move, Potter," snarled Draco, grabbing Harry's wrist and dragging him out of the door. 

Shesha hissed threateningly, but Draco ignored her, and without Harry saying anything, Shesha calmed.

Harry ran, leaving Hermione and Ron to explain to Hermione's astonished parents why he left so abruptly with this blonde whirlwind. The stray thought that if the Muggles said anything to Sirius about Harry's visitor, Sirius would recognize Draco, crossed Harry's mind, and Draco started to pull away from him as they ran down the hill. "Run!  Damn you," spat Draco, putting on an extra burst of speed. Harry concentrated on running.

When they reached the tree they had agreed to as an Apparition point, Harry put his hands on his knees, taking ragged deep breaths. Draco snatched his hand from his knee, knocking him off balance and Apparated the two of them to a small dark place. Harry staggered sideways and collided with brooms and mops as Draco shoved a small warm canvas bundle into his hands.  

"Change of plans," he snapped. "You can rescue Beatrice." Without another word to Harry, he was gone, Apparating to the Dark Lord, leaving Harry alone in a dark cupboard. For just a second, Harry felt claustrophobic, but he took a couple of deep breaths and gained control of himself. He hated closed in places, but not as bad as he hated mazes and he was going to be out of here in under four minutes. He could handle it.

"{Hisssuss!}" exclaimed Shesha. "{Two hisssusss!}" There was a sound of confusion from Shesha and then she corrected. "{No, just one hissuss. Bitemate says the other hisssuss is—is Bitemate? Tsezz?}"  Shesha was uncertain.

"Lumos," said Harry, lighting his wand. He started to shiver and would have done a warming spell on his wet clothes, but he knew he had no time to waste. He looked around, gauging his surroundings for the portkey.  The broom closet into which they had Apparated was cramped and cluttered and smelled like some sort of animal had been living here for a while. As soon as he lit his wand, he saw the 'animal.' It was Beatrice, sleeping on a rather soiled bed of parchment in a warded corner. A few pieces of lettuce and a withered carrot were lying beside her. 

"Oh Beatrice," he whispered, taking down the ward and pulling her thin form onto his lap. She was so tiny!  She wrinkled her nose and blinked her eyes, looking thoroughly miserable, but making no sign that she recognized him. "We're going to get you out of here," he promised as he sat her gently back on the ground. He reached into his pocket for the two handkerchiefs that he was going to use as portkeys, and realized he didn't have them. _Bloody hell!_ He had left them at Hermione's in his rush. 

Now he had to make two portkeys instead of one! He felt a moment of panic and then the rush of adrenaline flowed over him like a breath of warm air and the core of his magic became calm and capable. _No._  He could Apparate back to the tree near Hermione's. He would be outside of the Granger's house wards and the Ministry couldn't trace his wand use within the Snow Castle. He still only had to make one portkey. He could do this.  

There had to be something in the broom closet that he could use. He considered the carrot, but thought due to its nature, it would rot and that would be a problem. He remembered Flitwick's instructions:  _Portkeys made from perishable material became unstable._ The brooms were too big and every rag he picked up from the floor had been spelled previously to clean and would interfere with his spell. _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it_.  He was taking too long.  

His eyes fell on the canvas bundle that Draco had given him and he pulled it open to reveal another rabbit about Beatrice's size and coloring.  It had been _Stupefied_, but was beginning to wake. He tucked it under his arm and spread the canvas bag in front of him. He wished he could make one portkey that was reversible between the two sites, but they hadn't learned how to do that yet. He spelled one of the rags to glow to give him a little light, and then he concentrated on making the portkey. It was a little difficult because the rabbit came completely awake and began to struggle under his arm.  He tightened his grip, momentarily ignoring its struggles, and concentrating on completing the portkey. 

A glance at his watch told him that he was well within Draco's five minute deadline. He wrinkled his nose at the sour smell and put the real rabbit in the corner planning to ward it in as Beatrice was before he left, when he felt a flicker of nervousness. It didn't matter if it was warded in; he needed to be out of here. He hugged Beatrice under his arm, and raised his wand. **_"Itare Phantasma!"_**

And the anti-Apparition wards rose up in front of him like a wall of stone.

"No-o-o!"  He felt like he just slammed his Firebolt full speed into the Quidditch stands.  No that would have felt better. At least then, only one side of his body would have hit the wall. He crumpled, trying desperately to cry silently but he couldn't contain the pain.  Harry felt as if every molecule in him had smashed into the ward.  Aside from the physical pain, panic assailed him. The wards were back up! He was stuck here!

_"Draco said five minutes.  It hadn't even been four!"_

Amidst the pain of colliding with the ward, Harry realized he felt a familiar burning on his forehead. _His scar! He knew! Voldemort knew he had Apparated against the wards!_

Fear washed over him. He was in Voldemort's stronghold. No one knew where he was except Draco, who said, if Voldemort asked, he would tell Voldemort everything. All of the panic of last year came crashing back and with it the realization that this time, no one was going to save him. He never wanted his mother's protection more. The searing pain in his head along with the aching of his body was a crude reminder of his vulnerability.

Shesha hissed on his arm, "{Sheisss!}" and Harry froze, trying to quiet both his mind and his rapid breathing. He wished desperately for his Invisibility Cloak, but they thought there had been no need for it, and they had been in such a rush. Now, any minute, someone could open the door of the cupboard and find him. He wished he had learned that niche in the wall spell from Hermione and Ron. His mind flew through possibilities. Should he stay here and just wait until the wards went back down when the Death Eaters left, or should he use this time to try to locate Samara?

Above the sound of his pounding head, he heard the shuffling of feet passing the cupboard and realized that this cupboard was a bare few feet away from a rather large group of people—the circle. _Sweet Merlin, when Draco said he needed to Apparate close to the Dark Lord, he didn't realize he meant in a closet in the very same room as the Circle met! _After his initial moment of panic, Harry realized he had to calm down.  Tonks said, Voldemort was a Legilimens, and he was going to be in close proximity to him. Harry wasn't sure how far away from Voldemort he needed to be to be out of range of the Legilimency.  Hermione only knew it was enhanced by touch and strong emotion.  It was entirely possible that Voldemort could feel or sense Harry Potter's thoughts from this distance if he was emotional enough.  

He took a deep breath and decided he might as well do that drying charm on himself and then he eliminated some of the stink from the cupboard. He would just sit quietly and wait until their little Death Eater meeting was over. He might as well make the portkey back to Hermione's street now. There was no need to call more attention to himself by Apparating again. He found a small jar of Mrs. Skower's floor cleaner, and made it into the second portkey. It took him a bare four minutes without rushing to finish it.  

The Death Eaters were still milling around outside and the meeting hadn't even started. He could hear their footsteps and their whispered words. Doing nothing was causing him to concentrate too much on the close surroundings of the cupboard and the threat outside of it. 

"Move up here," demanded a feminine voice. "The Mulcibers aren't coming back. And you there, leave more room in the back of the circle for the others."

"They're only children," muttered a male voice

"They're Death Eaters," she snapped, and Harry realized who was giving the directions.  It was Narcissa Malfoy.

It was frightening to think that if someone opened the cupboard door, he knew of no place to Apparate to within the wards. He wasn't even sure if the wards would allow it and he really didn't want to smash into them again. He hoped the collision didn't effect his magic, but there was, of course, no way to check. He spent the next few minutes trying to remember some part of what they had seen in the Locator Potion Cauldron in sufficient detail to be able to Apparate to it if need be. It was hopeless. All he could remember was snow.  

He gripped his wand a little tighter, thinking of how fast he could block, _Testudo_, and he hoped they didn't just decide to kill him outright. _Would his Testudo be strong enough to hold off a Crucio? _He wondered. _Could he get the spell off, while running, because with the whole circle present, fighting was not an option, was it? _He had to think of Beatrice. He didn't know if he was fast enough and hoped he wouldn't have to find out. He decided to pull Beatrice onto his lap so that he was holding her if he had to run. As much as his Gryffindor heart abhorred running, if it meant saving Beatrice, he was ready to do it.

++

It was the first time Samara was to join the circle. She still felt weak and dizzy, but Voldemort had decided that she was strong enough to be present. She wished Draco was by her side; somehow it made her feel more secure when they were together. She knew that Voldemort felt that link of power too, because he continuously attempted to keep them apart. She was sure that Draco wasn't as busy as Voldemort said he was. Furthermore, every time she tried to speak to Draco about the Dark Mark, he shut down, simply telling her not to consent to it. _Easier said than done_, thought Samara. 

Ginny leaned in to her. "Are you ok?" she asked just as Draco Apparated on the other side of her. He smelled like sweat and rain and the outdoors. The remains of a stamina charm colored his aura with green streaks and although he appeared calm, Samara knew better. His aura was rolling with agitation. She dared not speak of it now. She dared not even think of it. 

She reached her hand out to touch him, and closed her mind to everything but the beauty of the Chamber of Forever, losing herself in the memory of the sensations she had shared with Draco. It was supremely easy to do since she had returned from the Elementals. She felt the power of the Air tickle lightly through her hair, and down her fingers but she was sure no one else noticed. Voldemort already thought her an insipid little waif who couldn't do anything but hiss at his basilisks. Let him be fooled. She barely heard Voldemort when he spoke.

++

"Harry Potter!" breathed Voldemort. He turned to Severus, confirming. "You were right, Severus. Dumbledore does know the location of the Snow Castle, and apparently, so does Harry Potter. He just tried to Apparate against the wards!"

There was a flash of fear from beside Samara, and Voldemort turned, his eyes locking with Draco Malfoy's.

Samara looked at Draco's aura and remembered Snape saying, _"I cannot go to him with knowledge of you,"_ and her Elemental filled fingers flew to Draco's brow.  **_"Obliviate,"_**she whispered, as Voldemort stalked to Draco's side.

It seemed as if Samara had staggered into her friend Ginny, pushed there by Voldemort's haste to get to Draco, but she felt the power of her spell suck everything out of her. It was too much magic, too soon. The single spell had exhausted her.  

Ginny frowned at her in confusion, but Samara shook her head slightly.  She couldn't talk of this now.  She couldn't even think of it.

Voldemort wrapped his hands around Draco's face, just as Snape snarled, "You miserable little sneak, Malfoy! How did you find out about Dumbledore? Were you spying on _me__?_ _Again?_ **_Crucio!"_**

Samara heard the sharp intake of breath around the circle that seemed to suck the air from the room. Around the circle, auras flickered with disbelief that Snape would dare to do _Crucio_ against Draco without the Dark Lord's permission. Voldemort's aura, however, looked like it might explode with anger, and with a wave of his hand, flung Snape the entire length of the room, breaking the _Crucio_ spell. Snape hit the wall with a resounding crack and slid to the floor, unconscious.

Voldemort resumed with Draco. The silence of the room was deafening.

++

The moment of fear Voldemort had felt from Draco was pure panic, and now the boy seemed disoriented. That could have been because of Severus' _Crucio_. He could tell immediately that Severus' _Crucio_ spell was wicked harsh—the type of spell thrown in complete anger. 

Like accidental magic, it was raw power, and Voldemort could still feel the remnants of the pain and the fear in Draco's mind. _Fear—of Snape?._ Still, the original spark of fear had come from knowing that Harry Potter had tried to Apparate in, not from Severus. Voldemort dug deeper into Draco's thoughts, trying to ferret out the truth, and Draco moaned.

"Stop it," snapped Samara. "You're hurting him."

Voldemort glanced at her. "You don't even know the beginnings of pain, child. Nor does he."

"Why don't you just let him tell you?" she asked.  

"Veritaserum," he said succinctly. As he glanced at his unconscious potions master, several other Death Eaters stepped forward with vials of Veritaserum, including Lucius Malfoy. 

"If my son has done anything to displease you, Master," said Lucius, "I want you to know I was not a party to it."

Voldemort didn't give Lucius a glance as he took the Veritaserum from his hand and poured it down Draco's throat.

He cupped Draco's chin in his hands.

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

"Yes," Draco answered immediately and truthfully.

"I can feel your fear," said Voldemort. "Answer truthfully, and this is as bad as it gets. Try to lie and the combination of my Legilimency and the Veritaserum will make you wish I had chosen _Crucio_. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I would never lie to you," volunteered Draco.

"Did you know Harry Potter was going to try to Apparate here?"

"No," said Draco, not fighting the power of the Legilimency or the potion, but nonetheless he gasped as the power of the Veritaserum coursed through him. "You said, this is as bad as it gets," moaned Draco.

"I lied," said Voldemort. "Did you know that Dumbledore knows the location of the Snow Castle?"

"Yes."

"Did you find this out from spying on Severus?

"No."

"Were you spying on Severus?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You said that the one who found the traitor could name their reward."

"Do you have any evidence that Severus is a traitor?"

"Not yet."

"Do you think he is a traitor?"

"I don't know."

"If you found this traitor, what would you choose as your reward?"

"Samara," Draco said without hesitation.

"And did you trust that I would keep my word?"

He watched the boy struggle with his answer. He wanted desperately to say yes, but the Veritaserum would not let him lie and his feelings conflicted. Voldemort laid his hand on Draco's face to feel the conflict inside of him. Draco was afraid that if he answered incorrectly, Voldemort would _Crucio_ him, but the pain was getting up to a level comparable with _Crucio_, anyway, and Draco was losing. Tears began to leak out of his eyes and he had bitten through his lip. Voldemort enjoyed every minute of the struggle.  "You can answer me, truthfully," said Voldemort softly, "or you could scream. I would very much like to hear you scream, little Malfoy.

"Answer me. Do you trust me?" asked Voldemort again.

"No!" Draco spat.  

"The truth is so much easier," said Voldemort gently.

"How did you find out that Dumbledore knows the location of the Snow Castle?"

"An owl," answered Draco. 

"From whom?"

"My—my cousin."

"Which cousin?" The answer was long in coming and Voldemort reached out to touch him, wondering which cousin earned such loyalty from the boy.

"Lauren Avery," Draco spat out the name, and Voldemort rewarded him with a moment of peace before he resumed questioning.  

"What interesting secrets you keep, my little dragon," whispered Voldemort.

"And when did you have occasion to speak to Harry Potter?" Voldemort threw the question lightening fast and Draco faltered.

"I—" Draco hesitated, and Voldemort once again laid a hand on him, expecting him to be trying to lie, but there was only confusion. "I –I talked to him—I was at Knockturn—"

"I remember," said Voldemort coldly. "You didn't buy the diadem. So you met Harry Potter instead. Anyone else?"

"Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Samara's brothers, Simon and Garrett."

Samara gasped, sucking in her breath, her pale face frightened. 

"Get her out of here," Voldemort ordered and two Death Eaters came forward, but Samara protested. 

Voldemort turned, hand extended. "**_Somnus!_** Take her back to the infirmary room," said Voldemort. "I think this may have been too much for her so soon. It is better that she sleeps."

Once Samara had left, Voldemort continued questioning Draco. "This should be a little easier for me now," commented Voldemort. "Of course, it might be a little harder for you, young Malfoy. So you went to Knockturn and spoke to Harry Potter. Was this a planned meeting?"

"Yes," answered Draco, but Voldemort could sense the pain increasing with Draco's anxiety. There was something that Draco didn't want to tell him. Something Draco was desperately trying to keep from him.

"What is between you and Potter?" Voldemort growled. "The sooner you tell me the truth, the sooner you stop hurting." Voldemort reached for Draco's face, but he never got the chance to touch him.

"I stole his Invisibility Cloak!" Draco burst out, and Voldemort was silent, waiting for the boy to recover himself, but Draco continued talking, the words falling over themselves to get out of his mouth. "Potter wanted it back. I didn't want Snape to know. That would ruin everything and now Father won't let me keep it! I know he won't." he wailed. "He'll take it from me." He startled as Voldemort raised his hand. "Please don't touch me again," he begged. "It hurts."

"I know," Voldemort said, and laid his hand back against Draco's face anyway. His thoughts were a mess now, a rolling mass of misery. Snape's original _Crucio_, which clouded everything with his fear of Snape, combined with the Veritaserum and his Legilimency, Draco thoughts flowed in an incoherent stream of babble. The only thought that was visible was the stealing of the Invisibility Cloak, but that didn't seem like the thought that made him frightened. "There is something else," Voldemort hissed, tightening his grip on Draco. "You can't lie to me!"

"I would never try to lie to you," Draco choked out. 

"What else is there between you and Potter?"

"Hate!" Draco yelled. "I hate him."

Voldemort dropped him, and turned to Lucius. "You will let the boy keep the Cloak. He has earned it. Take him to the infirmary room." Voldemort told one of his Death Eaters.

"Yes, Master."

He stalked to Severus Snape who was still lying on the floor, and stared down at him. He was supremely disappointed in Severus' actions. Although he understood Severus' ire, the _Crucio_ was ill timed for his interrogation of the Malfoy boy. _Was it just Severus' quick temper, or something else?_ He wondered, toying idly with his wand. _If only Severus didn't have those damned Occlumency wards._

"Master," Valeriana interrupted his thoughts. "Let me care for him for you." He hesitated and she continued. "I will tell him that I begged you to spare him. I will tell him I had to levitate his unconscious body to my chambers until your anger cooled."

"Get him out of my sight," said Voldemort.

++

Harry Potter reached for Beatrice to hold her and realized with a sudden sick feeling, that he didn't know which bunny was which. "Beatrice?" he asked, peering into the soft brown eyes of one of the rabbits.  

_Stupid! Stupid!_ Harry berated himself. Draco was going to laugh himself sick over this. Harry could just hear Draco's comments, "I hand you the bunny and you can't even rescue the right girl, Potter! What did you need, an _Adhere_ charm to keep track of her?" 

**_"Crucio!"_ **The shouted spell penetrated Harry's thoughts. He recognized the voice! That was Snape! Disgust and fear warred inside of him. This was the man Dumbledore wanted as his legal guardian, and he was torturing someone for the Dark Lord!  

Harry's heart skipped a beat as he heard something slam against the wall, and the Circle's collective intake of breath. Voldemort's voice sounded just outside of his cupboard, "Now, Draco, where were we?" he said.

Harry clenched his arms around the two bunnies he was now holding. _Voldemort found Draco!_ He knew it was because of him. Any moment now, Draco would betray him. Voldemort would pull open the cupboard door and he would die. "I'm sorry, Beatrice," he muttered, and as he spoke, a trickle of wet warmth in his lap distracted him for a moment, from the conversation outside of the door. "Leave it to Malfoy," Harry muttered sourly. He probably spelled the rabbit to piss on him. Aha!  That meant he knew which bunny was which.  Surely Beatrice wouldn't piss on him, would she?

The voices carried through the cupboard door.

"Stop it," snapped Samara. "You're hurting him."

And Harry looked up, a bit of hope blossoming. Samara was alright. She was awake, and Draco hadn't even told him that she was awake. _The miserable prat!_

"You don't even know the beginnings of pain, child. Nor does he," said Voldemort and Harry tensed. _He didn't want anyone to be hurt._ He frantically tried to think of a way that he could stop it. _Surely he could stop it somehow. How? With thirty Death Eaters outside the door and a bunny in each arm, what could he do? There had to be something he could do.  He was a Gryffindor._

"Why don't you just let him tell you?" Samara spat, her voice dripping acid. _Surely she wasn't taking that tone with Voldemort_, thought Harry. _Was she talking to Voldemort?_  She had to be. _Oh Samara_, he thought. _How could he have doubted that she was a Gryffindor?_

_Let who tell Voldemort what?_ Thought Harry. _Draco? Let Draco tell him about me hiding in the cupboard? Tell him that Harry Potter was playing hero?_ Yes, that's the way Draco would see it. He would tell Voldemort that Harry found a way to the Snow Castle and was trying to save the girls. Of course, Draco would make himself out to be the hero.He would pull open the cupboard door and say, "There's the stupid Gryff that trusted me!  I've delivered him to you, Master." 

_It was all over_, thought Harry miserably. He waited to hear Draco's voice, betraying him, but it was eerily silent.

"Veritaserum," said Voldemort.

_Had Draco not told his hiding place? What was this? Hadn't Draco said he would tell Voldemort everything? So why hadn't he told? _Not that it mattered. The Veritaserum would finish him._ No one could lie under Veritaserum_, thought Harry with a sick feeling in his stomach.

"If my son has done anything to displease you, Master," said Lucius, "I want you to know I was not a party to it."

For just a moment, Harry felt a flash of anger for Draco. _How dare Draco's own father feed him to that snake! _Moments with the Durley's flashed before his eyes and the memories from his patronus training, memories of his own father, James Potter protecting him. Still the thought of James giving in to Voldemort in any way was so abhorrent to Harry that he knew it couldn't be true. He didn't want it to be true. _Maybe it wasn't true._

The memories flashed by quickly in a wild meld of thoughts and he wondered if this was what it was like to see your life pass before your eyes before you died. He wouldn't die cowering in the cupboard. He gathered his courage about him, and looked down at the bunnies in his arms. _How could he fight? What would he do with Beatrice? Which one was Beatrice again?_

"{Hisssuss!}" said Shesha. "{This one, hisssuss. This one is tsezz.}"

"{This one?}" said Harry, amazed that Shesha recognized the difference. "{A bitemate?  Are you sure, Shesha? How did you do that?}"

"{This one has no magic,}" Shesha told him, and Harry put the real rabbit into the corner and warded it in.

"{I still can't fight with Beatrice in my hands,}" he hissed to Shesha. He thought _of how frustrated his mother must have felt with him in her arms. She couldn't fight Voldemort either._ Harry thought of offering his own life for Beatrice, but Voldemort didn't take that deal from his mother. He didn't think it would work now either. Volemort would just kill them both.

The voices carried through the door, causing Harry to recriminate himself once again about why he was cowering in the cupboard. _He was a Gryffindor, after all, The-Boy-Who-Lived!_

"Are you afraid?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes," Draco's voice.

"I can feel your fear," said Voldemort. 

"I'm not afraid," thought Harry as he clenched his fist around his wand as Voldemort continued to talk to Draco. "Answer truthfully, and this is as bad as it gets. Try to lie and the combination of my Legilimency and the Veritaserum will make you wish I had chosen _Crucio_. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I would never lie to you," said Draco.

"Did you know Harry Potter was going to try to Apparate here?"

"No," said Draco.  

_It was only a matter of time_, thought Harry_. As soon as Voldemort asked the right question, it was over._ "I'm sorry," he apologized to Beatrice again, burying his face in the soft fur of her neck. He wrinkled his nose at the smell. Even though Shesha had said she was the right bunny, she smelled like, well, like a rabbit. Since he was still alive, he thought he might as well do a cleaning charm on her. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you," he said, cuddling her close.  

Outside of the cupboard, Voldemort continued to question Draco. 

"You said, this is as bad as it gets," Draco's voice rose into a whine, and Harry realized that Draco was fighting the Veritaserum. _Why? _Thought Harry. _Draco said he wouldn't fight it. He said he would tell Voldemort everything. Was it possible Draco had lied?_

Harry's estimation of Draco just went up a notch, not that it would do any good, because they were both going to die here anyway. _Yes, Draco would love that_, Harry thought. _He got to die along side of the great Harry Potter. Draco would probably haunt him._ _No, he would be dead already._  For a moment, Harry almost laughed. _He must be getting hysterical_, he told himself. _Calm down._

He felt like he was fighting for breath in the close confines of the cupboard. He needed air. He took several deep breaths, focusing, but it didn't change the situation. _Everyone knew that Veritaserum was fool proof. _Yes, they would both die, Draco for fighting the Veritaserum and he, well, he would die—well. just because he was Harry Potter.

"I lied," said Voldemort. "Did you know that Dumbledore knows the location of the Snow Castle?"

"Yes."

"Did you find this out from spying on Severus?"

"No."

"Were you spying on Severus?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You said that the one who found the traitor could name their reward."

Harry sucked in his breath. They were talking about Snape. Maybe he would be safe.  Maybe Draco would turn over Snape to the Dark Lord. Immediately, Harry felt a pang of conscience. _If Snape really was for the side of the Light then what right did Harry have to trade Snape's life for his own?_ He felt guilty even thinking the thought. _Of course if Snape was evil_—even then, Harry could not trade another's life for his.

"How could someone choose to let another die so that they could live?" Harry muttered against Beatrice's ear. "How could they live with themselves afterwards?" 

Although Harry listened for further conversation between Draco and Voldemort, none was forthcoming. They were talking too softly. The silence was unnerving. He was at a constant state of tension, sure that any minute someone would throw the door open and he would be caught, but there was only silence and eventually, he loosed his grip on his wand a little and settled behind some of the brooms with Beatrice.

"I'm going to put you down," he said. "If I get caught, I want you to stay here, hidden. Eventually, someone will come to feed the other bunny or to use the brooms. That is when you should run away. Do you understand anything I'm telling you?" Harry wondered aloud, as he sat petting the bunny.. 

"If you go to Ginny, she will help you. I'm not sure about Samara. She might side with Voldermort, but I don't think she would hurt you either. She loved the owls. Well, I probably shouldn't talk to you about the owls, right?" asked Harry. "You didn't like the owls did you? Maybe Draco would be a safe choice, if he survives. And Dumbledore trusts Snape. I don't, but Dumbledore trusts him, so maybe you could go to Snape. Do you understand, Beatrice?"  He looked into her solemn brown eyes and felt a tremendous sadness. "You're so sweet.  I wish I would have known you better," said Harry. 

"What kind of bravery would send you here?" He remembered Hermione choosing Beatrice as her first year, little sister when the Sorting Hat failed and he also remembered Beatrice championing Rita Skeeter when Hermione had her in a terrarium. _"She's a person," Beatrice had said. "You can't keep her in a cage."_

"If I get out of here," Harry promised. "I won't let anyone put you in a cage, Beatrice. I promise."  

Snippets of conversation came to Harry's ears. It was Draco's voice. "Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Samara's brothers, Simon and Garrett."

There was a gasp and a struggle, and the sound of Samara's voice. Things were happening quickly; movement on top of voices and confusion, but Harry realized that Samara had done something. 

Apparently, Voldemort had stopped her instantly. "Get her out of here! **_Somnus!_" **The whispered mutterings were incomprehensible.  After a few moments, Voldemort continued in a harsh growl, "What is between you and Potter? The sooner you tell me the truth, the sooner you stop hurting."

A gasp of pain and then Draco's voice, shouting, "I stole his Invisibility Cloak. Potter wanted it back. I didn't want Snape to know. That would ruin everything and now Father won't let me keep it! I know he won't. He'll take it from me." And then Draco's voice rose to a wail. "Please don't touch me again," he screamed. "It hurts."

Harry bit his lip. _This had to stop._ He couldn't let Draco do this for him. _Didn't Dumbledore tell him that at one point either he or the Dark Lord would die?_ _The moment had come._ Clutching his wand, he reached for the door. Without warning, Shesha reared up and struck, sinking her fangs deep into his left wrist. He felt the paralysis coursing through his body like ice.

"{Shesha? Why?}" wondered Harry as his legs ceased to be able to hold him.

"{Bitemate says,}" replied Shesha.  

"{Bitemate?}" asked Harry, thinking of Voldemort's basilisks. "{What bitemate?}"

"{Visha.}"

++

Ginny hurried to the infirmary to see if that was where the Death Eaters had taken Samara. She rearranged Visha on her neck several times as the agitated basilisk tried look behind her.

"{I don't care where your lost bitemate is,}" Ginny hissed to Visha. "{We can't look for her now. We'll look for the tsezz later.}"

Visha suddenly exuded sadness. "{Bitemate gone,}" said Visha. "{Tsezz gone. Hisssuss gone. Mistress sad her hisssuss is gone?}"

"{What hisssuss?}" said Ginny, her heart leaping with excitement._ Beatrice!_ She thought.

"{Hisssuss that Sissshausss–A–sissshausss took from you is gone,}" explained Visha.

"{Hisssuss is gone!}" hissed Ginny excitedly. _Harry did it. He saved Beatrice!_

"I don't think I'd go broadcasting that thought," said Tom, "or Salazar might want to know your part in it."

"{Wait,}" Ginny addressed Visha again. "{Who was this other bitemate?}"

"{Shesha.}"

"So you were right, Tom. Harry _did_ imprint the other basilisk in the chamber."

"Of course, I was right. How could you possibly doubt me, Ginny Love."

"You know, you are really disgusting when you get that arrogant attitude, Tom."

"{Bitemates!}" said Visha excitedly as they entered the infirmary to visit Samara..

She was sleeping on the opposite bed, but what Ginny saw appalled her. A group of six Durmstrang boys were gathered around Draco's bed, taking advantage of the remaining Veritaserum in Draco's blood. 

"I was a virgin," said Draco.

"But if Samara was your first," said one of the boys with a snigger, "You have no basis for comparison."

"How about the red-head," asked another. "Is she as hot as she looks?"

"She—" began Draco, but Ginny's voice interrupted.

"You're damned right she is!" she snapped, and then Ginny hissed in parseltongue, "{I may need your help, Visha. Don't kill anyone.}"

"{Yes, mistress.}" 

"{Bitemates help?}" asked several basilisks slithering forward from Samara's bed.

"{Yess,}" hissed Ginny. "{Tsezz help.}"

Two of the boys broke and ran. Ginny hit them both in quick succession with the _Adhere_ spell that Samara was so fond of. The others were immobilized by basilisk venom within seconds.

"Draco, are you ok?" said Ginny.

"Stupid question," said Tom. "He's just been Crucioed, drank Veritaserum and was dragged through Salazar's Legilimency. Sometimes you amaze me."

"What are you going to do with us?" called one of the _Adhered_ boys from the corridor.

"You can't leave us here," called the other. 

Ginny ignored them. "Oh Draco, I never thought you'd act so—Gryffindor. I'll bet you never did anything like that before, did you?"

"I—" began Draco, sweat breaking out on his brow again.

"VirginiaWeasley!" hissed Tom. "He's been through enough. You will not interrogate him too."

"I'm not," began Ginny. "Oh—Oh no. Stop, Draco. I didn't mean to ask you anything. If you want to tell me anything, you will when the Veritaserum wears off." She hesitated, looking from the sleeping Samara and back to Draco and thinking.

"I didn't do anything wrong, Tom, it was just a mistake and he didn't say anything anyway," thought Ginny. "Although, he did look like he was struggling with something, didn't he?  I wonder--"

_"You keep reminding me that you are a light witch!" said Tom. "And then you pull a stunt like that—"_

"I know you don't consider me your friend, Draco," Ginny said. "And I still have to get back at you for that miserable _Stupefy_ spell, but I won't hit a man when he's down—"

"That will cost you, Weasel," said Draco, holding his head.

"What?"

"Not hitting a man when he's down." 

"He should be sleeping," said Tom. "It would help him to recover."

"You're right," thought Ginny. "I'm going to put you in a sleeping ward," Ginny told Draco.  

"Not here," Draco snapped.

"What do you want me to do, Malfoy? Deliver you to Malfoy Manor? **_Somnus!"_**

"{See that no one else bothers them,}" Ginny told Samara's basilisks, as she stalked out into the hall where the two other boys were still yelling.

"We know who you are," said one nastily. "We'll get even."

"We'll tell," said the other.

"Really?" said Ginny. "Can't let you do that." She _Obliviated_ them both in quick succession.

"Let us go," they moaned in unison.

"Who put you here?" asked Ginny.

"I—ah—I don't know. Do you know?" one asked the other.

He shook his head.

"Well, I can't let you go, then," said Ginny sweetly. "As far as I know it could have been the Dark Lord."

"It wasn't."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

"No."

"Well pretty sure—"

"The Dark Lord wouldn't stick us to the floor, he would _Crucio_ us if we did something wrong—" argued the first boy. "He wouldn't waste time—"

"Unless he had something important to do," interrupted the other, "and he's coming back later to finish—"

Both of them broke out in a sweat.

"I don't even remember what I did—" whined the first one.

"Wait!" they called as Ginny waved and she headed down the corridor to her room.

"Ginny, that was positively evil."

"It's your influence, Tom."

_"I didn't say I didn't like it," Tom smirked. "I just meant it was—very Slytherin of you."_

+++

Lots of fun stuff to come.  Will Beatrice get to be a girl again?  Will Cho Chang remain in Harry's life?  What will happen to Samara and Ginny?  Is Draco going to be punished for his part in Beatrice's escape?  What part do all those basilisks play?

REVIEW.  REVIEW.  REVIEW.  This means you.  Hey, you didn't have to pay for the read, the least you can do is offer a few comments.  Go on, it won't kill you.

15 reviews to the next chapter.   By the way, I am currently working on the last several chapters.  Yes, this fic will soon be finished so you can quit worrying that I might desert you.   I won't.  The question is, will you do the same for me?

Come to yahoo groups to discuss.  The_Seers'_Truth

The link is on my author page. It won't come up here.

Happy Easter!  I thought it was appropriate to save the bunny on Easter even if you lazy louts haven't given me my 15 reviews.  

Lady Lestrange

+++

NOTES TO REVIEWERS:

If everyone would invite one friend, you would get to 15 reviews so much faster—OH you don't have any friends?  I understand, Slytherin and Ravenclaw readers.  Oh what I wouldn't do to a couple of Hufflepuff readers.  I meant what I wouldn't do FOR a couple of Hufflepuff readers!  Just a slip of the keyboard, Gryffindors, don't get your knickers in a bunch.  LOVE YOU GUYS.  THANKS FOR REVIEWING.

Christina:  Ah yes, a lovely long review and a true seer to add to the list of seers in The Seers' Truth.

Emma-Trelawney:  So you want to kill off Ginny?  That's a first. Anyway, promise more Ginny/Tom to come.  I didn't want to bore you with too much Ginny/Tom.  I wanted you to be anxious for more when the "blast" of G/T comes.   I guess you are anxious.  Good.

Tiamat Warcraft:  So tell me, did you like this chapter, or did I guess wrong.

Harpy:  Sorry you are confused.  The POV alternates between the trio and the Snow Castle, usually Harry with the trio and Ginny or Volde at the Snow Castle although I've had a few moments of Samara.

Silverfox1:  I know, I wanna play too, but I can't.  Christmas curse you know—

Claret234:  I love your long reviews.  They really lift my spirit.  Also, it's great to know which quotes touched you.  Thanks for great reviews.

The Elemental Sorceress:  Missed you.  Glad you are back.

Dragonheart2:  I'm not bad, I'm a Slyth.  First of all I gave you a new chapter with only eleven reviews on April 2 and I gave you a whole new story in Secret Seduction!  Wasn't it worth a little April Fools'?  Anyway, about Harry and the "bad boy" act.  Sorry can't make him too much of a bad boy makes him OOC.  JK made him tentative and unsure of himself, not me.  I'm really trying to work with it though.  I'd like to show as he grows, especially after he talks to Rowenna Ravenclaw, he starts to see the power in belief of himself. Waiting for your review of Draco Malfoy and the Goblet of Fire.  Cassandra Claire plagerizing?  I don't believe it!  If she was, I want to see the story she supposedly plagerized off of.  It must be the best on fanfic, because in my opinion, she was close.  I just thought she pulled her own work for some reason.  Any idea where she is archived?  Fiction Alley?

Jager:  Samara does that sometimes.  She is an irritating character at times.  I know ennui is ready to string her up from the nearest tree at any given moment—and Draco with her.

Trillium:  Poor Ginny/Tom.  They will get to have some fun, I promise.  A little taster in the chapter, but the best Ginny/Tom is yet to come.  In fact the best G/T  I have ever written.

Kemenran:  More reviews please. Invite your friends.

ShadowLord5:  Answers about Harry's love life will be forthcoming.  Let's see, in chapter 18, I think.  Not too long to wait is it?

Claret345:  I believe Hermione will use her animagus form before the end of the fic, unless I decide to change it.  And what Snape wasn't telling Ginny?  Author snorts in an unladylike manner.  You've got to be kidding?  What WAS Snape telling Ginny?

Fuz:  short and sweet

Claret345:  I so love it when you quote the things that I forgot I wrote and I see them and say, gosh that's fun!  Thanks for good reviews.


	15. CH: 15 Voldemort's Instruction and Dumb...

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 15 **

**Voldemort's Instruction and Dumbledore's Inquisition**

_Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte_  

**15 REVIEWS**:  I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews, for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer:**  The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this fanfic. Thanks JK.

 For further discussion, visit:

Yahoo groups,  The_Seers_Truth

**Chapter 15 **

**Voldemort's Instruction and Dumbledore's Inquisition**

Voldemort hesitated outside of Valeriana's bedchamber.  The door was closed, but not warded.  There were no silencing spells and he realized that Severus Snape was still with her.  He smiled, certain that things would turn out as he planned,  and  apparated to the corridor to take over Severus' abandoned class.  

He believed these students were the ones who needed remediation in apparition.  He was really beginning to like teaching.  He decided it was something he missed from his old life as Salazar.  "(I should have begun the work with children much sooner,)" he told Nagini. "(Perhaps one of these will show himself worthy of my plan.)"

"(You are still missing several for key roles,)"  Nagini reminded him.

"(Yes, yes, I know,)" said Voldemort.  "(It will come together.  With Severus' wards down and Dumbledore dead, everything will come to pass as Helga foresaw.)"

"(But you don't know what she saw, do you?)" Nagini asked.

"(No.)"

_"Because she would rather die than tell you," Tom reminded him._

I know enough to defeat the old fart.  He's becoming senile. Thought Salazar and Tom didn't answer.  Agree with me for once, do you Tom? Wondered Salazar.

Voldemort entered the classroom enjoying the immediate fear that welled up in the children.  "You regular teacher is—indisposed," he said with a small smile as he deposited Nagini and his basilisks on the floor.  "I will be teaching you today.  All of you, that side of the room." He gestured and there was an immediate scramble to obey.  He sighed.  If only your parents obeyed so readily, he thought.  "Severus tells me you have gone through all of the theory, and he hasn't had a major splinch in weeks.  I expect you will do as well for me as Severus, and I won't quibble over a few lost fingers as long as it's for a good cause.  You're all acquainted with Mr. Pettigrew, I presume."  

There were nods and affirmatives all around, but also some confusion.  He realized that the children were too young to remember that Peter had lost his finger in service to the Dark before he lost his hand."

_"The price of living too long," Tom surmised._

Salazar ignored him.  

"When I call your name," Voldemort continued, "you will Apparate to the other side of the room".

There was a movement and the beginnings of an interruption from Gregory Goyle.

"Yes, Gregory?" said Voldemort, turning his red eyes on the boy.

He felt the fear boil over in him. The boy could barely speak.  Voldemort wondered what he had done to him to elicit such fear.  He couldn't remember anything specific.  He didn't remember saying more than half dozen words to the boy in his lifetime.  Oh, perhaps he crucioed him at Beaubaxtons. He tried to remember if he had been one of the boys drooling over the Veelas.

 "N-nothing," the boy stuttered..  "I'm sorry.  I didn't want anything."

"Yes, you did," said Voldemort.  "Don't lie to me."

P-p-please," he stuttered.  "I haven't been able to do it yet."

"Not a problem," said Voldemort pleasantly.  "You'll do it today.  In fact, you can be first.  In parseltongue, he said, "(Nagini, Come here. I require your assistance.)"

The snake hissed her unhappiness with Voldemort's proposition, but complied nonetheless. "(I hate when my food disappears half way down my throat.  I should get to actually eat one of them--)" she said petulantly.  "(and he's too big.)"

"(You don't have to swallow more than his head,)"Voldemort soothed in parseltongue..

In English he explained to Gregory, "Lie on the ground so that Nagini doesn't have to struggle to reach you, and hold your wand ready. Why are you so nervous?  I promise you this method has never failed.  You can Apparate at any time.   Now, Nagini,  will begin to swallow your head—"

Gregory shot to his feet and Voldemort slammed him back to the ground. Tears came to Gregory's eyes.. "You may Apparate," said Voldemort crossly, "You may not run."  Voldemort placed his hand on Gregory's shoulder and realized that Gregory was suffering a sharp pain along his neck and shoulder.  He may have dislocated the boy's shoulder when he slammed into the ground.  Rather than enjoying the little foray into pain, Voldemort healed him, pushing the shoulder back into joint with a sharp pop.  Gregory cried out once and stared as Voldemort asked, "Is the pain gone, now."

Gregory nodded mutely.

"Yes, Master," Voldemort coached.

"Yes, Master," Gregory repeated, not daring to move.

"Good, then you can concentrate on the Apparition.  Nagini has gotten as far as the shoulders several times with this method, but generally, no further,"  Voldemort explained to the class, his hand still on Gregory, reveling in his mounting panic as Nagini wrapped her coils around him and stretched her jaws over his face. "I think it has to do with the feeling of suffocation," Voldemort surmised.

Gregory apparated.

"Very good," said Voldemort pleased.  "Another thing that you should have learned from this, Gregory, is a more effective crucio.  When done slowly, suffocation can evoke the most fear.  Clean the slime from your face, boy," snapped Voldemort, "and stand up straight.  Quit your shivering.  You are unhurt."

Yes, m-master.  **Pergo**!" said Gregory.

"Gloria Snood," said Voldemort.

"I can do it," said Gloria immediately.

++

It was a rather subdued trio that rode back to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione was insisting that Ron study for his OWLs, a task he had not yet begun, and Harry was finally reading his new book himself.   He wasn't reading it so much as sitting with it open on his lap. He had already searched the train for Draco.  The Slytherin wasn't on the Hogwarts Express.  That fact worried him.

Harry's mind was working overtime, deep in thought about the last few days.  He had sent Hedwig to Sirius about Beatrice, and that had immediately brought Sirius, Dumbledore and half of the Order to examine her and take her off to St. Mungos making Harry and company feel rather useless.   

At least Hermione managed to give her a bath and some crisp lettuce before she was taken away.  Harry had sat before the fire, smoothing back Beatrice's damp hair until the Order came, and after they took her, he felt strangely empty.  Then they spent the rest of the day trying to calm Hermione's parents because Dumbledore wouldn't do another _obliviate_ spell on them.  

Harry was concerned about sending Beatrice to St. Mungos.  He knew it was the best place for her, but he also knew St. Mungos didn't do a good job with Ginny's memory problems.  Ginny was terrified of going back there.  He remembered Ron's conspiracy with her earlier this year to keep the news of her nightmares from her parents, but considering where Ginny was now, perhaps that wasn't such a good idea.  It had been four days since his visit to the Snow Castle, and he wondered if they had any news of Beatrice's condition.  He had sent Hedwig with a message to St. Mungos.

"I wish I knew how Beatrice was doing," Harry murmured to no one in particular.

"Haven't you had any word from St. Mungos?" asked Hermione.

Harry shook his head no.  "They said I wasn't family and therefore they couldn't divulge any information."

"That sucks," said Ron and Hermione didn't even correct his language.  They all felt pretty much the same way.  

Hermione sighed and buried herself in her book.  Every now and then, Ron grunted an answer to her quizzing him.  Harry lapsed back into thought.                                                                                                                                                        

"Fine job, Harry" Dumbledore had congratulated him.  "I'm just surprised this whole business isn't over by now. Voldemort didn't try to engage you?"  _Why did he have to be the one to kill Voldemort.  He didn't even know if he believed in the stupid prophecy._  No.  He corrected himself.  He believed in it.  He just didn't want it to be so.

"No," Harry answered tightly, neglecting to tell Dumbledore that he had spent the entire hour and a half cowering in a cupboard.  _What a fine Gryffindor I am! Harry admonished himself, defeated by my own basilisk._

"And the prophecy said that Beatrice would—"  Dumbledore frowned.   "What did she do to change '_the moment of doom_' I wonder?" he said aloud.  "If anything?"

"Nothing," spat Harry.  "She was a bunny almost the whole time. What could she do?  She was locked in a closet and starved!  I don't think that changed anything in the grand scheme of things!"

"Alas, the prophecy isn't clear.   I wonder—perhaps she wasn't meant to come back yet" Albus said, biting his lip, and Harry never was so close to hexing him.  He grasped his wand and felt his scar burn and realized that somehow, all the anger he felt, might not have been his. Voldemort might have found out his bunny was missing.  A moment later, one of the Order members excused himself, and apparated from the premises.  Harry released the wand, gaining control of his anger and then thinking, on the other hand, it might have been his anger—

The Order, or rather Dumbledore, had insisted on interrogating Harry to find out how he got into the Snow Castle.  Harry was determined not to tell them about Draco.  Hermione thought he should tell,  "After all," she said.  "The way his family is steeped in the Dark Arts, it might do him a world of good to have the aurors know he helped us. They would consider that good behavior if they catch him with his Dark Mark later."

Harry, remembering Voldemort's tortures, didn't think that the aurors would be Draco's immediate problem.  He remembered Dumbledore saying there was a spy in the Order and that's why the Dursley's were attacked.  Harry frowned trying to remember who had Apparated away after his scar burned.  

He couldn't remember, and his mind wandered back to re-assess all that Voldemort said and did while he was hiding in the cupboard.  As much as he couldn't stand the little ferret, he didn't want Draco's death on his conscience and after what he had heard from his cupboard hiding place, he was quite sure that if Voldemort even suspected that Draco helped Beatrice escape, Draco would be dead.  There had already been too many deaths   Harry still wasn't quite sure how Draco had managed to trick the veritaserium.  The only possibility that he could think of, was that Draco was a legilimens and occlumens too. That was certainly an unwelcome thought.  "Would occlumency even work against veritaserium?  He hadn't thought so—so it must be something different."

Harry rubbed his head, remembering Dumbledore's interrogation.

"So how did you get into the Snow Castle?" Dumbledore insisted.

"Portkey," said Harry, expecting them to leave it at that, but they didn't.  

"That seems reasonable," Dumbledore said.  "Where is it?  Did you get it from Ginny Weasley? Let us see it.  Will we be able to use it?"  

Harry started to be concerned that they would find the portkey he had made at the Snow Castle and take if from him, so he had said, "I'll get it," and went to the room he shared with Ron.  He was back in less than three minutes with the remains of the wrinkled carrot in his hand.  "I don't believe it will work for you," he said. "Beatrice was eating it."

"Oh dear," said Dumbledore.  "It's perishable."

Sirius examined the vegetable and shook his head.  "I wouldn't trust this portkey to carry a flea back to him. 

"A flea," said Tonks.  "A flea on the back of  a dog?"

"No, Sirius," said Harry worriedly.

"Oh, I'm not going," said Sirius  "It would be suicide. He knows I'm an animagus."

"but if you're a dog—" Started Tonks.

"Well, you could be a chair—" interrupted Sirius snidely.

"And have that snake sit on me?" said Tonks.  "Forget it.  Anyway, He's a legilimens.  Chairs don't think—"

"And dogs do?" said Sirius, handing the carrot to Dumbledore.  "Well, they do, but not like wizards.  I'm guessing, He would notice a difference."

"We can tell _you're not a Gryffindor_," said  Tonks in a superior tone.*

"It looks half finished—"  Sirius said coming back to the subject of the portkey.  His eyes met Harry's and Harry looked away.  .  "And if I'm not mistaken," Sirius continued, "The key word is in parseltongue."

"You're not mistaken," Harry said.

"Albus," Sirius continued.  "We may be able to narrow down the location with this, but we certainly can't use it as a portkey.'

"Very good, Sirius," said Dumbledore putting the piece of carrot into his pocket.  "It's a start." 

_Wait a minute, thought Harry. Didn't Dumbledore say he knew the location of the Snow Castle?  Was he lying to Snape when he told him that he did or was he telling Snape to lie to Voldemort?_ _Telling him to lie to a known legilimens?  Was he crazy? _

Dumbledore turned back to Harry.  "You are a true Gryffindor," he said to Harry, "Putting Beatrice's life ahead of your own.  I have no doubt that this will all work out for the best.  It always has, hasn't it?"

"Sir?" Harry asked,  "Where's Snape?"

"Professor Snape,"  Dumbledore corrected absently.

"Perhaps I should call him _Father_," Harry sneered.  "Where is he?" 

"He had some urgent business to attend to," said Dumbledore, but the worried look in Sirius' eyes said something else.  Harry wondered if Snape had come back from the Snow Castle two days ago.

And now, Draco wasn't on the train.

++

Draco's kisses were hot and insistent, his magic surrounding Samara like a warm blanket.  She summoned all the willpower she had and pushed him away.  "Draco," she whispered.  "You have to go.  You are going to miss your train."

"Don't care,"  he whispered between kisses.

"I'll see you on Friday."

"Advanced defense doesn't count," he muttered.

"Draco!"

"I'll apparate to the Forbidden Forest and walk up," he said while nibbling her neck and dissolving the buttons off of her robe.  "It's not a big deal.  No one will miss me except Gregory and Vincent and I can tell them to cover for me. They'll lie"

"Draco, if Dumbledore realizes you've been at the Snow Castle, he might put you in the Chamber of Chains."

"Nah—" said Draco, still kissing her and now slipping his hands beneath her robe to touch her skin and her magic, basilisks hissing as he gently moved them out of his way. "Dumbledore doesn't scare me."  His smoky gray eyes were dark with passion and his aura a deep misty rose. He sucked on her earlobe for a moment and then whispered,  "I wish we were in the Chamber of Forever."

"Me too," she agreed kissing him and finally losing herself in his touch, his taste, his magic. She was surprised he hadn't admonished her for holding back and not sharing her magic with him earlier.  She remembered the first time they had kissed and he had told her she kissed like a Muggle—no magic—well, no longer.  An idea came from somewhere deep within her.  Let him mistake _this_ for Muggle, she thought and she decided that she would surprise him with the control she had over the new power of her magic. She wouldn't tell him how it had grown within her since she returned from the Elementals.  She wouldn't tell him, that now, the Elementals seemed only a breath away from her at any time.  Yes, she smiled as he kissed her, she wouldn't tell him.  She would show him.  

Air, she decided.  They both loved air, for her it was free and  pure and fresh.  For him it was the speed of flying and the fierce power of the wind.  She pulled deeply on the Air Elemental, surrounding herself with it, like she did in the Chamber of Forever and then she kissed him with it, wind blowing through them both with a wild abandon. She felt him shiver in excitement and pure joy, his hands tightening on her.

A tap on the door brought her back to reality.

"Ignore it," Draco suggested.  "They'll go away." 

He looked at her, his breath coming in short gasps, and she realized his sharp mind was analyzing..  "What did you just do?" he muttered, attempting to release her magic, and failing.  He tried to release again, but Samara could still feel her magic in him.  She laid her hands across his chest and began to gently and steadily pull her magic from him, but in doing so, she realized that some of the magic still stayed with him, binding itself to his and enhancing his power.  She suddenly realized why Voldemort was so interested in the Prophecy Child.  Her mouth went dry.

"The knock came again.". "Who is it?" she called.  

"Ginny."

"Tell her to go away," muttered Draco, his lips hot and wet against her shoulder.  

"No," Samara whispered back. 

She can come back later when I'm at Hogwarts," Draco said.

"No."  Samara started to get up, but Draco pulled her back beside him, nuzzling her neck and pushing her robe apart.  

"Well," he commented, "If you're going to invite her in, you really should put some buttons on your robe."

"Draco," Samara admonished.  "When did you do that?"  Instead of conjuring new buttons, Samara just made a quick seam up the front of her robe, with **adhere**, and pulled down the wards, calling, 'come in.'"

Ginny came in and glanced at their flushed cheeks and Draco lying in her lap.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"Yes," said Draco his aura flashing orange.  "So why don't you leave?"

"Draco," said Samara in exasperation.  "Draco was just leaving.  He has to catch the Hogwart's Express back to school anyway."

"Too late," Draco intoned, his aura slowly returning to its normal murky red.  "I've already missed it.  I'll just have to apparate now.  I have a good six hours before I have to leave, now,   so I guess we can spare a few minutes with you Weasel.  What's on your mind?"

Ginny looked from Draco to Samara and muttered, "I don't suppose you could ask him to leave so we could have a private conversation, could you?" 

Samara frowned and Draco snuggled closer to Samara, smirking at Ginny.  "You're stuck with me, Weasel," he said.

"Not me," Ginny commented and then continued. "I just wanted to know what happened in the Circle," she said..  

"Aside from my getting _crucioed_ you mean?" questioned Draco.  "You probably enjoyed that didn't you, Weasel?"

"I did not," spat Ginny.  "I'm a Gryffindor."

"Oh right, Holy Gryffindors.  I forgot," smirked Draco.

"Did you—do something to deserve that--_crucio_?" asked Ginny.

"Deserve?" said Samara.  "You of all people should know that no one deserves his crucios."

"Yes,  I know," apologized Ginny.  "It's just, well?" she waited expectantly.

"Me?" asked Draco, the picture of innocence.  "I didn't do a thing, at least not that I can remember."  He looked at Samara.

"He's hiding something," said Tom.

"I don't have to be a legilimens to sense that," Ginny replied to Tom, but she didn't want to share the information she had with Draco, especially not when he was being such a prat.

_"Parseltongue," suggested Tom_, and Ginny positively smirked.

++

"(Did your basilisks know a bitemate was here?)" Ginny asked Samara switching to parseltongue.   Her aura was its normal soft blue, filled with curiosity, as she worked on this puzzle.

"(Yes,)" Samara replied also in parseltongue.  

"(So why didn't _His basilisks_ know a bitemate was there?)" asked Ginny, and bits of pale yellow shot through her aura as she considered this.

_He doesn't talk to them, Ginny Love.  They are mindless killing machines remember?  Of course that's what he thinks of all of his Death Eaters and I'm not sure he's too far off._

"(They probably did know, but he didn't ask them,)" said Samara.  "(Have you ever seen him talk to them?)"

"(Only to give orders,)" said Tse one of Samara's basilisks who had been with Voldemort several times.

"(But there's only one person who could have taken the other basilisk from the Chamber,)" said Samara. "(Only one other person who speaks parseltongue,)"

"(That's what I thought.)" replied Ginny, the yellow again streaking her aura.

Well don't think of it too long, added Tom, or Salazar will probably figure it out from one of your thoughts.

"Will you two stop that?" said Draco annoyed that they were talking in parseltongue and he couldn't understand.  

"We're just trying to keep you safe," said Samara, and Ginny grinned, the blue of her aura darkening somewhat. 

"I could _stupefy_ you instead," said Ginny, her soft grin turning into a definite smirk.

"You could try, Weasel," retorted Draco, his aura immediately pulled in close and dark and defensive.

_"I could do it, Ginny Love.  Let me do it." Tom coaxed._

You know, for just a moment, Tom, I was actually tempted, thought Ginny.

++

After Draco had left for school, Samara sat on Ginny's bed and discussed possibilities with her.  "He scares me," Samara admitted.  "Even with the new power from the Elementals, I can't protect myself—"

"Well, no one really can," said Ginny, "But you're a more powerful witch than most."

"No," said Samara shaking her head.  "You don't understand the nature of my power.  It's healing.  It's reflective.  It's protection.  It's not offensive.  Every time I've done a really powerful spell, another wizard was involved.  I couldn't have taken down Hogwarts Wards myself.  I enhanced Professor Snape's power.  I couldn't even hold that ward against Dumbledore.  I was so tired.  You did most of it. I just enhanced your power."

"No Samara," said Ginny.

"Yes," said Samara.  "Anyway, that ward was mostly show.  As soon as a spell hit it, down it went and we already know my ward won't hold back dementors."

"Alvin wouldn't—" began Ginny, and Samara interrupted.  "Yes, he would. If the Dark Lord ordered it, Alvin would set those things on Lauren."

"I don't believe it," said Ginny, shivering.

Samara just shook her head.  "Then you are awfully naïve, Ginny.  There's something else.  I know why He wanted the Prophecy Child."

"You do," said Ginny.  "Why?"

"I don't know if I should tell you," Samara said miserably. She was silent for a moment than shrugged.  "Oh, what the hell.  I might as well tell you, she said.  "You know enough other things you've managed to keep from Him."  She hesitated.  "Is there something you wanted to tell me Ginny?  About how you've managed to keep things from him?"

"No," Ginny said carefully.

"Let me guess," said Samara.  "Something you learned in first year?"

Ginny didn't answer.  Tom? She thought.

"She's guessing.  She doesn't know anything, Ginny Love, and it's better that way," 

Ok, Just be careful with this," said Samara.  "You can't let Him know. When Draco and I shared magic, it enhanced Draco's power in some way:  maybe, more capacity to use the Elementals or a greater power than he had before.  I don't know how many times I can do that, but I'm pretty sure, that's what Voldemort wants from His Prophecy Child."

Ginny shuddered. 

"I didn't go back to the Circle," said Samara.  "I—I couldn't.  I've been trying to avoid Him.  It's not going to last for long.  He's been pretty patient, but his aura—is—is not."  Samara blew out her breath.  "I wish I knew what to do." 

"I think He's knows you are the Prophecy Child, too," said Ginny, "No matter what I tell him.  He just keeps telling me I need to find His emerald but I don't know what to do.  Once I find it, what's His reason to keep me alive?"

"Oh, Ginn," said Samara worried.

"I could tell Him that you helped me emerge from the Elementals," said Samara.  "Healing, that's a gift of the Prophecy Child.  That might confuse Him."

"You can't outright lie to him," said Tom.

"You can't lie to him." Said Ginny.

"I could try."

"No," said Ginny.  "It's too dangerous."

"Draco managed to," said Samara.  

"Only because you _obliviated _him," said Ginny, but Samara shook her head, "I don't think  Draco would have gotten away with it without Snape's _crucio_ clouding his mind."  Samara shivered.  "I can't believe I'm even saying this!  Being thankful for Snape's _crucio!_  I must be crazy!"

"Hey!  I'm the crazy one, remember?" laughed Ginny.

"I want to go home," said Samara softly.  "I don't even want to be a witch anymore, Ginny. I just, want to go home. I don't want to be here, but I don't want to go back to Dumbledore either.  I just want to go home to my nasty muggle brothers and my ready for divorce court parents, and talk to Grandma Lori, and just let her hold me.  I wish I had never come to Hogwarts.  I miss home, so much."  She bit her lip, tears threatening.

"Me too.  I mean I want to go home."  Ginny reached out and hugged her friend and for a long moment neither spoke, fighting tears. 

"Alright, enough with the mutual pity," said Tom.  "It's not solving anything. Concentrate on what we talked about, Ginny. The Dark Mark."

 "I can't believe I miss my moron brothers," Samara laughed, but her heart wasn't in it and it was a rather sad sound.

"He'll kill your Muggle family to get to you," said Ginny.

"I know.  I could sense it in his aura.  Killing means nothing to him--especially killing Muggles.  It's not fair," Samara burst out.  "I never asked to be the one to make this decision.  I shouldn't have to.  Until a few months ago, I didn't even live in the wizarding world."

_"Sh-h-h," warned Tom. "Tell her to keep her emotions in check, Ginny.  We don't know how close He is_."

"Calm down, Samara. He might hear your thoughts."

"You're right," she breathed.  "Damn it, I should be able to think what I want to."

"He won't let you go without a Dark Mark," said Ginny. "He told me He wanted me to do something for Him, and then I could go back to Hogwarts to look for His emerald, but I don't want to leave you here alone," said Ginny.  "I also hate to see you get the Mark.  It changes.  You agree to one thing, and He does another with it."

"If you can leave, you go," Samara said seriously. 

"I'm not going without you.  What kind of friend do you think I am?"

"Oh, Ginny Love, don't make promises like that."

"What kind of friend would I be if I just left her, Tom?" Ginny thought , angered that he would even think she would desert Samara like that.

Ginny felt Tom's confusion, but ignored him.

"What does He want you to do?" asked Samara.

"Who?" asked Ginny.

"Voldemort," said Samara.  "Hello Ginny!  Who were we talking about?"

"I have no idea what He wants me to do.   He said He would tell me when the time was right."  Ginny bit her lip, worrying.

"Draco said, he requires all of his Death Eaters to perform an unforgivable with their wand..  Then if they are caught by aurors, they go straight to Azkaban, so it ensures their loyalty to him," said Samara. "Incentive for me to make a new wand—"

"I can't do it," said Ginny. "I can't kill anyone or _curcio_ them. I know I can't.   Maybe _imperio_—"

"Ginny Love, it's not going to be imperio to wear a different color robes.  It will be imperio to do something nasty, for sure."

"You're right," Ginny thought.

"Ginny?"  Samara had laid her hand on Ginny's shoulder, concerned.  "Your aura is doing its little switch thing—blue, yellow, blue—Are you with me today?"

"Oh, sorry.  I was just thinking."

"OK," said Samara hesitantly.  "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"No," said Ginny.  "I don't know.  I'm scared, Samara.  I'm—I'm afraid to go to the Circle.  Some Gryffindor I am, huh?  All I can think of is avoiding His _crucio_, and how can I?   What can I do to stop it?  Oh Samara, it hurts so bad—"

"I can see that," said Samara.  "Your aura is changing just thinking about it."

"I just wish I knew where His damned emerald was," snapped Ginny.  "I'm shaking every time I go to the Circle thinking He's going to ask me, and I don't know and there's nothing I can say that will stop the _crucio_—I'm not even the one who has to find it!" snapped Ginny.  "The prophecy says it's supposed to be given to me."

"Hmmm," said Samara frowning.  "What's the prophecy?  Do you remember it?"

"What do you mean?" said Ginny.  "It was in your book!"

"Ginny," Tom reminded her.  "You were riffling through Samara's book.  You revealed the prophecy with Hermione's revealer.  Samara wasn't there.  She never saw it."

"Oh right," Ginny remembered with a frown.

"My book?"

"Yes, I was looking at it—"  Ginny hesitated.

"It's OK," Samara said.  "I don't mind. Where was this written?  I read the whole book.  I don't remember any prophecy."

"On one of the blank pages, left for notes.  I used a revealer," said Ginny.

"I never thought of that," said Samara.  "Good idea."

"Thanks," said Tom.

"Thanks," Ginny echoed.

"I don't suppose you remember the prophecy, do you?" asked Samara.

"Tom, help," thought Ginny.

Tom sighed.  "Did your mother do a memory charm on you as a baby?" he asked.  "Your memory is abysmal, Ginny.  How could you forget something as important as this?" 

"Just tell me the prophecy again," urged Ginny, and she repeated it to Samara.

         You of auburn hair and parseltongue,

         You've never painted, danced or sung.

         You read a book, now dead and worn

         Its pages lost, soiled, marred and torn.

         For twins you're not, yet appear to be

"Twins?" said Samara.  "What twins?"

"I don't know," said Ginny.  "I don't think it really means twins."  She couldn't say she thought it might refer to her and Tom or to her before and after the Dark Mark or even before and after Tom took up residence inside of her..

"It can't be a person, unless it's talking about you, Ginny.  You don't have a twin stashed somewhere do you?"

"No," Ginny laughed uneasily.

"Twin prophecies?" wondered Samara.  "Parvati's and Trelawney's."

"Yes, but what about Helga's," asked Ginny. "That makes three prophecies."

"I don't know," said Samara.  "What's the rest of the prophecy?"

Ginny had to repeat and wait for Tom to think of it before she could continue, but at last, she did.

         For twins you're not, yet appear to be

         But you are not what others see

         You see that little time will be allotted

         Unless the Snake can be out-plotted.

         Find the treasure long neglected

         Of my house that you rejected.

         In his picture, locked and warded

"I know what it is," said Samara suddenly.  "It's Salazar's picture, in Slytherin common room.  He tried to give me the ring off of his finger.  I didn't take it."

"A ring?" asked Ginny.  "An emerald?"

"Yes," said Samara, hugging her friend.  "We've got it!"  After a few minutes, Samara asked, what does the rest of the prophecy say?

         There the twins dire quest rewarded.

"Twins again," said Samara.  "I don't understand."  She hesitated and then said,  "Go on.  What else do you remember?"

         You must seek a sighted friend

         Or let your toil in time end.

         For if you do not take the jewel

         You will lack the vital tool.

         You cannot have what you cannot see.

         So find a friend to let Snakes see.

         Let time reveal what you do not know.

         All must be clear before you go.

"Go where?" said Samara. 

"I don't know," said Ginny.

"At least, we've figured out where the emerald is," said Samara, "but I don't think we should give it to Voldemort, at least not right away.  It doesn't say you are supposed to give it to Voldemort. It seems like you are supposed to keep it—to take it somewhere."

"I don't have a choice," said Ginny.  "I'm under _imperious_ to give it to him.  I'd probably give it to him even if I weren't under _imperio_.  You aren't the one he's _crucioing_. Oh, Merlin, I don't know what to do now.  I want the emerald so that he won't crucio me, but we can't just give it to Him—"

"True," said Samara.  "But I hate to just give him the emerald until we know what it does.  Maybe I can ask Salazar--"

"Salazar?" said Ginny.

"Yes.  In the picture," said Samara.

"So the only problem now, is getting to Hogwarts," said Ginny.

"Well, I'm not going to let him keep _crucioing_ you, Ginny if I have the means to stop it."

"What do you mean?"

"If my getting the Dark Mark means that He'll trust me enough to allow me to return to Hogwarts to get the emerald--"

_"No," said Tom._

"No!" shouted Ginny.

"But—" said Samara.

"No," said Ginny more gently.  "And what about Dumbledore?"

"I don't know," said Samara.

"If we could convince Dumbledore that you aren't a threat to the side of Light, Samara, he would help us.  I know he would," said Ginny.

"Even with the Dark Mark on your arm?" asked Samara.

"He helped Snape," said Ginny.  "We just have to convince him that we aren't Dark witches."

"What is a Dark Witch?" muttered Samara.

++

When the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into the station, Harry was never so ready to get off of it.  He rode up the hill, hoping against hope that Snape was there.  As he entered the Great Hall, someone grabbed the back of his robe.  He wheeled around, wand out, a curse on his lips.

"Whoa!"  said Draco, putting his hands up in front of him, magic crackling, and Harry lowered his wand.  "Did you get it?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Harry began. "You said I had five minutes!" he snapped,  his thoughts running through all that happened that night.  He wanted to ask how Draco had avoided the veritaserium and what happened since then and when—

"I said _no more _than five.  Learn to listen, Gryff.  I'll be in touch," Draco whispered and then he abruptly shoved Harry away from him, and Harry stumbled, catching himself against the stone wall.   "Watch where you're going, Potter," Draco sneered, and then strode past him into the Great Hall.  "Vincent! Gregory! Wait!" he said, and his bodyguards turned to wait for him. 

"Harry! You of all people, taking to that nasty little snake," said Cho.  "You were talking to him, weren't you?"

"Cho—" said Marietta Edgecomb.

"I—ah—well."  Harry stammered.

"I saw you," snapped Cho.  "Everyone knows his whole family is in league with You-Know-Who, and after Cedric's death I would think he would be the last person you'd want to talk to.  What could you possibly have to say to each other?"

"Er—"

"Harry rescued Beatrice," said Hermione in a superior tone.  

"Oh, how wonderful!" said Cho wrapping her arms around Harry and hugging him.  The abrupt about face, startled Harry into silence.  "You'll have to tell me all about it," said Cho.   She didn't let go of Harry's hand as they walked into the Great Hall and he wondered how he was going to extricate himself from her, or if he wanted to.

"Harry," she continued, "I know I've been terrible to you, but I was thinking about what Hermione said to me."

"What's that?" asked Harry. "About Beatrice?"

"Oh no, before our holiday.  Hermione said if I was brave enough to die for my beliefs I would have been sorted into Gryffindor, but you know, I don't think that's true.  I think bravery can be mixed in any of the houses, just like intelligence can.  I mean look at Hermione.  She's smart, as smart as--_some_ of the Ravenclaws, but she was sorted into Gryffindor."

"Cho—I'm kind of hungry," Harry said, wanting to go to the Gryffindor table while supper was still hot, and avoid anything---Cho might say about Hermione.

"Come and sit at the Ravenclaw table," she invited and Harry wasn't sure how to refuse without hurting her feelings so he went.  As they dished out their food, Cho continued. "I've really examined my beliefs and I realized she was right.  I've been avoiding you Harry because you reminded me of Cedric."

"I know you really liked Cedric," said Harry.  "I'm sorry. It must be hard."

"No.  No.  You don't understand," said Cho.  "I did like Cedric.  We were good friends, but we were never really right for each other.  After he died and you said, you, liked me, I started to think of all the things that happened to people you liked—I mean Ron and Hemrione are always in the thick of things aren't they?"

"I understand.  It's kind of dangerous," said Harry thinking of the Dursleys and the Longbottoms and even Draco.

"But that's all over now," said Cho.  "Ravenclaws can be just as brave as Gryffindors. So I decided we should--" a slight blush colored her face,  and she continued, "I mean--If you still want to date me, I would say yes."

'Um –er.  Sure," said Harry, absolutely uncertain as to how that just happened.

"Sowilo," said one of the Ravenclaws who sat on the other side of Marietta. His red hair reminded Harry of one of the Weasley twins, or maybe Charlie, but there,  the resemblence stopped.   "It's the rune of disclosure," said the Ravenclaw.  "I assume this was an enlightenment to you."  His serene face broke into a smile, his blue eyes twinkling rather like Dumbledore's.

"Er—yeah," said Harry.

"Aldwin Oglesby," said the boy holding out his hand, and Harry shook it.

"So  Sowilo," interrupted Cho in a perturbed tone of voice.  "The symbol of victory The spirit of life. The natural power of the sun. Clear vision. Light triumphs over darkness and the ability to vanquish evil. Did I miss anything, Aldwin?" 

"Yes," said Aldwin.  "It's the sign of your scar, Harry."

++

Voldemort returned to Valeriana's chamber to find that Snape had left.  Valeriana was sitting on the bed staring vacantly into space and muttering the ingredients of the blood boiling potion, _infervesco sanguinarius_.    It was also called the Potion of Fifty Six Tears because it contained fifty six different kinds of tears.  Valeriana was currently on dragon tears, the fifty third ingredient.  Voldemort touched her and she shrank within herself with a little cry.  Looking around wildly, she flung flames randomly onto the floor.

Immediately, Voldemort  drowned the flames with Elemental water.  "Valeriana!"

Voldemort clasped her hands.  Her thoughts hit him like the emptiness of hell.  "They aren't here!" he shouted at her.  "There are no dementors here.  They are gone, Valeriana. You are safe."  

Valeriana wrapped her arms around Him like a leech.  "Master," she sobbed.  "Let me feel your magic!"  

"Feel your own magic," he snapped, pulling her arms from around him  "Look at you, Valeriana, dripping flames like a child!"

"I'm sorry, Master," she said, her eyes still haunted, but gaining a measure of control over her magic.  "I--I know, but sometimes when I am too happy it all comes back. Severus was so—"  She was clinging to Him, sobbing wildly. "I can't think that—I can't think that—"

"You can think what you want to, Valeriana!" he shouted at her, shaking her roughly.    "The dementors are gone.  The nightmare is over!"

"No. I can't think that.  No happy thoughts.  I have to—"  She let go of Him completely at this point, muttering to herself,  "The twelve uses for dragon's blood—"  

"Valeriana?" said Voldemort.  "Where's Severus?  What happened?"  He tried to make sense from the cacophony of thoughts running through her head. _Touching Severus, the fine midnight strands of his hair in her fingers, and the warmth of his body and his magic and the joy-- and then the fear of the dementers, wild and disjointed, and Severus again, kind and gentle.  _

Voldemort had forgotten that Severus had been in Azkaban for a time_.  _Severus knew exactly how the dementors tomented a body. Severus knew and had played to her fear. 

_Severus speaking to her, calming her, sharing magic and reminding her that she couldn't dare to feel happiness or the dark things would come back and feed on her.  Severus, whispering to her about their school days and drawing her into screams and panic and more screams until she was incoherent with fear.   Severus, finally letting the terror crecendo and Severus abandoning her, sneering, "Don't ever try to manipulate me, Valeriana.  I'm better at it than you"_

He had underestimated the man.  Again.  And Valeriana was a whimpering mass of fear.  "Please, Master.  Make them go away," she begged, clinging to him, and wanting to be comforted, but he knew that was not the answer.  Instead he pried her hands loose from him and backhanded her.  She fell against the bed covers a trickle of blood at her mouth.  "You needn't be afraid of them," he growled.  "You need to be afraid of me.  You've failed." 

A spark of understanding came into her eyes, and when he clasped her wrist, he could see that her thoughts were only of him. 

++

*A/N:  I know in OotP, JK made Sirius a Gryffindor, but in _The Seers' Truth: The Broken Beginning_, I made Sirius a Slytherin because of JK's comment in PoA by Hagrid that all then known to be Dark Wizards,  (which included the murderer Sirius Black), were Slytherin.  So, JK's Sirius is dead, but mine is alive and well and he and Peter Pettigrew were in Slytherin while James and Remus were in Gryffindor.  Lily was in Hufflepuff.  Please remember although this book was written later, this _story_ precedes OotP.

**Answers to Reviewers:**

A/N: I had almost all of the reviewers answered and then my computer decided to close Microsoft Word and I had to do it over.  Grr.  I probably did a better job the first time, but oh well, here goes.  THANKS FOR REVIEWING.  REMEMBER 15 REVIEWS GETS THE NEXT CHAPTER.

Fuz:  Glad you like the Ginny Tom stuff and there is more Draco Samara to come.

NeoGal:  Well that was an articulate review.  Lol

Elbereth:  Thank you for the compliments.  I'm glad you find the endings of my chapters excruciating.  That's a good thing, right?  I'm a Slyth. I get this stuff mixed up sometime.  Grin.

NeoGal:  The kids act too old?  OK.  I'm 14.  I even gave Ethan and  Edward my birthday, which is coming up soon.  And well, I'm not sure where he is lusting over Ginny.  Maybe in "the Broken Beginning", but not much in this story.  She's a little busy with stuff from the Dark Lord.  I know they didn't really "break up" but you know sometimes that happens.  It's hard to break up, so you just sort of shy away and let things dwindle.  Is that like a 14 year old?  I did it for a while so it has basis in fact.  As far as you thinking that the characters act too old, I thought JK made Harry ridiculously young in her fifth book.  Come on.  He wouldn't kiss Cho?  No wonder so many fanfics make him gay.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, and if you have a 14 year old kid that's still telling you they are playing with trucks and Barbie dolls, --um—er.  OK.  Shuts up now.

Adaneth:  Gee I wish I was 40 odd chapters ahead of you.  Just to keep you posted.  I have this story almost finished in rough draft form.  It won't be as long as the Broken Beginning.  Then I have to decide if I should go right into the third book, or start on something continuing my short story "Secret Seduction".

The Elemental Sorceress:  I understand.  Homework gets so in the way doesn't it?

Harpy:  Thanks for the kudos.

Christina:  Glad you had a good—slightly evil feeling-laugh at Harry's suffering mental and urinary anguish.  Maybe I should have a poll.  Did Draco charm the bunny to pee on Harry or was it just a scared bunny.  Thanks for the house points and the lone review.  Basilisks double as walkie talkies.  LOL.  I love you assessment of Snape's distraction. It was indeed intentional and in no way proves evilness. Perhaps the brute method does suggest slight sadism, but it's not like we didn't already expect that from how he... lives in general.  Of course that doesn't mean it's true.  Well, Ginny does LISTEN to Tom, albeit she tells him quite often to shut up.

Raven 173:  Thanks for the megaprops

Raven173:  OK, answering all together here.  Glad you liked the game of Tag.  I thought we needed a bit of a diversion, but it does have a purpose.  And Snape as Harry's guaradian just seemed right.  As far as the "three sisters"  I guess I've been influenced by too much Shakespeare lately.

Ennui de Morte:  Thank you for your tireless betaing.  We laughed together about Harry's hero complex, but on the other hand, I think Harry is a wonderfully sweet person.  I'd love to meet someone like him.  Wouldn't you?

**Thanks again to all my reviewers**.  Please be a responsible reader and review.  You don't have to pay for this fic.  How hard is it to say, liked it or not?  15 Reviews gets the next chapter.  Email your friends, and invite them to the yahoo group.  The_Seers_Truth

**  ==  **


	16. CH 16: Where's My Bunny

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

****

**Where's My Bunny?**

**Chapter 16**

****

Disclaimer: All Potterverse belongs to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. Thanks JK.

**Where's My Bunny?**

**Chapter 16**

****

The first words after he called the circle were deceptively soft. 

"Where's my bunny?" he asked. 

He reached out with his gift, letting the fear in their hearts lead him to the culprits, whether for malice or not, someone had released the rabbit from Wormtail's care. He reached his hand into his pocket and felt the tiny scratchy feet of the rat. It reminded him of a more trustworthy rat that he had kept as a pet for a while in the Muggle orphanage. It had died in the end, a victim of a child's prank. 

_No—that was my rat, interrupted Tom._

We are the same, Voldemort replied.

_"We are not!"_

He surveyed the circle as he petted Wormtail. The fear rippled everywhere, every one of them afraid for a moment that they had unwittingly released the rabbit and then the fear settled and here and there some spots of fear grew in clumps. These were some of the guilty ones, he knew. Kieran, Shaul, Clive, he barked out the names of the Durmstang boys and they came forward, Still afraid, but somewhat emboldened because they were in a group. Every one of them decided immediately to blame the other. He smiled.

"The one who brings me my bunny, will not be _Crucioed_," he said. 

Instantly, two of them dove for the door the third Apparated and in a second had popped back into the room with a rather smelly, unkempt rabbit. 

The Boy who had Apparated was serenely confident that he was free, but Voldemort was now entirely enraged because the animal he held was not an Animagus and therefore not _His_ rabbit. 

**_"Crucio!"_** snapped Voldemort, watching intently as the fire of the _Crucio_ took effect. First the boy Kieran, screamed in panic and pain, dropping the rabbit, who dashed for shadowy corner. The boy tried to bat away the flames he saw and felt and then he quivered into himself, screaming, the pain causing him to lose all touch with anything around him. At this point, Voldemort laid his hands on the boy, letting the fire seep into his very bones, feeling the boy's suffering until the boy lost consciousness and Voldemort dropped him on the floor.

"Where's my bunny?" he repeated, and with a crook of one of his long and deadly fingers, he called the second boy a step closer to him. He reached out, wickedly fast and dragged the boy forward by his robe collar.

"I—I—I don't know," he stuttered, pointing to the other boy. "He—"

****

**_"Crucio!"_** he said, this time taking the boy's breath, watching his sullen, sallow face turn blue and his eyes widen in fear as he opened and closed his mouth, as if he could taste the air by moving his lips. Voldemort's fingers clenched against the boy's neck allowed him to feel the terror of suffocation consuming him. The boy fainted entirely too soon. He slid to the floor, his eyes bulging with fear.

"Master!" cried the third boy, throwing himself at Voldemort's feet. "I'm sorry. It was just a prank; we were going to return her as soon as we had a little fun. We put her in the closet, right there. He could have found her, but Mr. Pettigrew is so—so—" He looked around for Wormtail before continuing. _Pathetic_, was the word in the boy's mind, but he searched around for an alternative and instead said, "trusting."

Voldemort smiled an altogether unpleasant smile. "So what do you think happened to my bunny?" His voice rose in intensity and in anger as he continued speaking, "While she was in a completely unwarded closet! When you and all of my Death Eaters know that there is a traitor among us! What-do-you-think-happened?!" Voldemort screamed; the magic crackling in his hands was a ghostly shade of green.

The boy shrunk silently within himself, and Voldemort clasped his hand under the boy's face, the hot magic boring into flesh of his neck. "Answer me when I talk to you, Shaul" growled Voldemort, "or I will fry your vocal cords right out of your throat." His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "After all, if you don't talk to me, you don't need to talk at all. 

"I—didn't—kn-know—"

"Lies!"

"But I didn't d-do anything," Shaul blurted.

"Lies!" Voldemort said again, grasping the boy by his hair and tightening his fingers against his throat.

Shaul whimpered. "Okay, I knew. I just watched. I didn't hurt her."

"Lies," spat Voldemort dragging his hand across the boy's throat and the smell of burning flesh made some of the Death Eaters cringe and the boy's scream pierced the air.

"Tell me the truth, now," Voldemort said, calmly and he waited patiently while the boy coughed and cried his hands shaking around his own burnt neck. 

"Okay, I held her," he sobbed, "but just once, and we found the closet, but it was the Animagi—"

"It was _their_ fault, wasn't it?" asked Voldemort softly.

"Yes—they—

****

**_"Crucio!"_** he interrupted, and when the boy collapsed, Voldemort _Ennervated_ him. "Stand up," Voldemort ordered and the boy stood hesitantly on shaky legs. "When you lie," said Voldemort in a conversational tone, "You must do it well, or it could cost you your life. **_Avada Kadavra!"_**

****

The smell of burnt flesh and dark magic hung heavy in the air like a cloying perfume that was suffocating the guilty.Voldemort took a deep breath, steadying himself from the draining influence of the spell. That sound was the only sound in the room. It seemed as if no one else was breathing. He looked around at his circle, listening to their thoughts, their fears, their pitiful attempts to block him. Some disagreed with his action, but they were too steeped in fear to oppose him. Dead bodies always had that effect. Yes, some disagreed, but he had their undivided attention now. His unerring red eyes centered in on the prime offenders, and he _Accioed_ the bunny from the corner before speaking in a whisper that was heard in every corner of the room.

****

"The Animagi he was talking about, come here." No one moved, but he felt the increased level of fear and turned towards them. "Don't hesitate," He spat, "because I already know who you are. You are broadcasting fear so far that Dumbledore in his big stone castle probably knows who you are." Owen, Millicent and Gavin all came forward albeit hesitantly.

"Tell me Millicent," he asked as he petted the unsuspecting rabbit in an almost kind way, "Is this the bunny you took from Wormtail?" He knew full well, that she as an animagus, recognized that He was not holding an animagus.

She looked to her co-conspirators. He didn't expect anything less. She was, after all, a woman—a _girl_ really. It was natural that she would look to the males for guidance. Unfortunately, all they were thinking of was saving their own skins. She decided, wisely, to tell the complete truth, for all of them. "We were—bored, Master—" she began. 

_Obviously she needed more challenging work_, he thought. He felt a bit of the tension begin to break in the Circle as Millicent spoke. It was always so when the guilty were found; the collective breath which said, "I'm safe for now." He turned his attention back to Millicent, not yet willing to subject her to his legilimency. She was guileless; her brain not much different than her cat animagus' brain. He didn't think she had the capacity to try to lie to him. Certainly, she didn't have the ability to succeed. 

"And we just wanted to play with the bunny a bit." Millicent looked at her shoes. The fear creeping into her would not allow her to hold his gaze.

_We weren't going to hurt it_, thought Owen. He opened his mouth to speak, but decided to let Millicent finish it, and remained silent as Salazar turned his burning red gaze on the boy. 

"We didn't think you'd mind," said Millicient, "but Worm—ah, Mr. Pettigrew wouldn't let us. He told us to get out, and he cursed Pritch. We wanted to get even, so Pritch and I came back around when he was practicing the speed of his Animagus change."

"What curse?" asked Voldemort, and immediately Owen Prichard cringed, _Terrricula!,_ Voldemort realized before Owen named the spell.

"And you can't block that?" asked Voldemort, fixing him with his penetrating red stare.

Owen bit his lip. "It went through my _Testudo,"_ he said.

"I see. Continue Millicent."

"Pritch chased him and Gavin kidnapped the bunny, and dropped it to me."

The ferret and the hawk, Voldemort realized working together, hunting together. It would have pleased him if they weren't hunting _his bunny_.

Millicent swallowed, continuing softly, "Pettigrew kept chasing the hawk. Gavin was just the one with wings and talons though, Pritch did the diversion and I hid her, so we are all—all-equally guilty." The rest of her words came out in a rush, as if trying to get the words out before he cursed her. "We would have given her back sooner, but Mr. Pettigrew said he would tell you, and we would—be punished—and we wanted his-his-promise that he wouldn't squeal on us."

"Who warded her in?" asked Voldemort, and Millicent's thoughts jumped to Pritch. Voldemort looked at the boy expectantly.

"I did," said Owen. "But I was just trying to keep the bunny in, not keeping a wizard out."

"I see," said Voldemort. He said nothing else for a moment, letting their own fear eat at them. Finally he spoke, in a soft unyielding voice. "You—all of you—leave the Circle. You will await my pleasure, over there—" he gestured vaguely to a spot outside of the circle, and felt their panic escalate.

"B-but master," began Gavin, dropping to his knees.

Voldemort removed his mouth, and dropped the bunny into his hands.

"There!" Voldemort pointed back, and Gavin scrabbled backwards on his knees. They were out of the Circle. Their fear was so great he could almost touch it.

He turned away from the errant children and looked at the body of the boy he had just killed. The child was about fourteen, unremarkable brown hair and staring brown eyes. Voldemort levitated the body to each of the circle members in turn. 

"It has been too long since I cleansed the ranks," he said. "When a child—A Child," he said with vehemence. "thinks he can lie to me, the blame must lie with the adults that allow such slackness. Yes, this child's death is my fault. Now, these children," he gestured to the Animagi, "know that to lie to me is a mistake, so his death serves a purpose. Yet some of you _still_ attempt to lie to me." His eyes rested on each of the Death Eaters in turn, trying to discern who might be the spy. "Someone here continues to lie to me. Someone here spies on me." _Who seemed more nervous than the others? Who would let their thoughts broadcast their guilt?_

He paused the levitation of the body as the Death Eater it was in front of, suddenly sobbed. Regret and anger all over the man.

****

"Do you question me?" Voldemort asked impatiently.

"No," the man whispered, but his thoughts said otherwise. "He's—is—was--my son."

"Ah—" said Voldemort calmly. That explained the ragged emotion dripping from the man. "You should have taught him better. **Crucio!"**

****

When the sounds of the screams had died down, and Voldemort stood looking at that sobbing man, waiting patiently for him to get control of himself.. "Thank you," he breathed, his voice shaking. "Thank you, Master, for allowing me to live. I will serve you more faithfully. I swear. Thank you."

"Did I say I would spare your life?" asked Voldemort. "You are mistaken." 

A stricken look passed over the man's face as Voldemort twirled his wand lazily between his fingers. "**Avada Kadavra!"**

He finished showing the boy's body to each of the Death Eaters, and then raised his voice to the Circle. "This one," he gestured to the boy's body. "Where is his mother?"

"Yorkshire," said Lucius. "With her daughter. She is perhaps eight or nine—"

"Bring them."

"Yes Master." Lucius disapparated.

****

He felt a hint of censure and he looked in the direction of the thought. His eyes met Virginia's across the circle. Immediately she dropped her eyes, attempting to mask her distaste of the previous spells, but he knew that she disagreed strongly with his handling of the situation. She had done several anti nausea spells and she was extremely pale, but she was also defiant. Somehow, she thought her friend had been saved.

"{Your friend is still hisssuss,}" said Voldemort.in parseltongue.

"{I know,}" she replied meekly, but her thoughts, defiant and arrogant continued, _but Harry Potter saved her._

"{What do you know?}" he demanded, approaching her, and her mind closed like a trap. _She was an Occlumens! _He had only just now realized that she had the power to hide her thoughts from him. What had she hidden?

"{Nothing, Master}" she answered meekly. _Nothing, Tom, _she thought. 

_Why did she persist in calling him Tom in her thoughts? _But he grasped her around the neck and shook her, ignoring Visha who hissed dangerously throughout the exchange. "{Kill. Bite. Devour. Sissshausss!)"

Ginny hissed, "(Be silent, Visha.)"

"{You are lying to me! Do you see what happens to liars?}" Voldemort hissed and flung her on the ground so that she stumbled into the boy's body, and fell in a crumpled heap against his legs. "(They die. Their whole family dies.}" 

Ginny did not miss the threat, but if he didn't kill her yet; he wouldn't kill them. She looked up at him, oddly calm and said, still in parseltongue, "{Do you really want to risk killing the prophecy child, Master?}"

"{Mistress?}" hissed Visha anxiously.

"{It's Samara!}" He hissed. "{Not you.}" But her words calmed him, reminding him that she was the one who had to find his emerald. 

"{Are you so sure--Master?}"

Her eyes were unrepentant for her insolence and her voicing of the word Master—_Sissshausss_—in parseltongue left the meaning open to interpretation—great one or hungry one."

**_"Crucio!"_** he said.

"Just the way to persuade her to your side," said Tom snidely. "Sometimes your lack of intelligence, Salazar, amazes me. It's a wonder you ever got to be the Dark Lord—I'd expect you to be repeating primary school—the school bully—"

Voldemort closed his hand on his wand and viciously cursed back Tom. The smell of searing flesh filled the room as the annoying voice in his head was silenced, but just before quiet fell, a bit of gray smoke escaped his wand.

The little prat thought that he could use the wand! Anger at Tom boiled anew inside of him. 

"Want to kill me?" asked a tired voice in his head. "Smashing."

Voldemort gained control of himself and moved on. He had things he had to accomplish. If Dumbledore knew about the location of the Snow Castle, time was of the essence. He didn't have time to deal properly with either Virginia or Tom, who had gained a bit of power. He knew why. His stint into the Elementals had weakened him, and performing the Avada hadn't helped. He had to use his wand less and let the magic between them gain its natural equilibrium. 

"It is not natural to keep me bound," said Tom, and Voldemort had too many things to do to silence him again. He moved down the circle, simply ignoring his nemesis.

"Marshall," he asked. "What news?"

"I've finished, Master. The restricted areas will open to us. I will need to assess the magic of everyone who is going with us. Final plans will have to be implemented at the site."

"But you are sure it will work?  
  


"Yes, Master. I created the failsafe. I know how to get around it. I can't make the lift ignore us, but I can make a number of new employees with high level clearance. I still need to add your signature, Master, and the magical signature of the person who you've chosen to take the place of Madam Bones."

Voldemort nodded. "Won't it know I'm not the person I'm supposed to be?"

"Well, the lift would know," agreed Marshall, "But if all of the other plans work, no one's going to be actually checking the lift for names. They will be too busy with damage control."

"Good," said Voldemort. "Snape, Edgecomb and Umbridge will also need additional clearances. Did you get them?"

"Yes, Master. Have you decided who else will be with you in the meeting itself?"

"Yes. Didn't I tell you? Virginia Weasley. She will need clearance too." His red eyes met hers across the hall. He would need some sort of assurance that she wouldn't betray him.

"Yes, Master." Said Marshall.

A murmuring of descent was not actually audible, but Voldemort heard it nonetheless. 

Voldemort turned back to Marshall. "Come to my chambers after supper tonight, and you can acquire my magical signature for your work."

"After supper?" said Marshall. The thought that screamed in the man's mind was Alone? He wants me to come alone?"

Their panic always amused him. It wasn't like he put them in any real danger or caused any permanent damage. Usually. He was always careful not to use any one of them too much. It was just pain after all. He rarely killed them unless they deserved it. He looked at the two bodies on the floor. 

"Yes," said Voldemort calmly. "I believe we should discuss your daughter. Valeriana reminded me of her the other day."

"Yes, Master," said Marshall. His thoughts declaring, he shall never have Lauren. I will die first."

"Perhaps," said Voldemort, dragging a finger aside of Marshall's face. He turned aside abruptly. There would be time enough for him after supper. 

"Edgecomb? The Floo?"

"Ready to shut down on your order," she answered. "The re-alignment Marshall and I will have to finish on site."

"Very good."

"Alvin, my son," said Voldemort, taking the boy's face in his hands. "You make me very proud. Lucius told me you found a way to set the dementors in their shadow form without actually releasing them from the box. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Master, in theory the spell says, I can place the dementors in their shadow form at various intervals and activate them from a central location. That means we have an added advantage of stealth. The shadows won't be seen and they won't set off the alarms until they are activated. It's a wonderful spell, but—" His thoughts betrayed his nervousness. "I'm not very good at it," he continued. "It's an ancient spell, and sometimes it gets away from me, and the dementors awaken too soon—and –and rather get away from me. It would be helpful if I could practice it without worrying about who might be about—"

"I see," said Voldemort. "It's a wise man who knows his limitations and works to improve. You shall have what you need. I believe the fourth floor is not well occupied. You may have the library and the adjacent corridor. Ward it to deny admittance—"

Voldemort heard snippets of complaints from those whose bedchambers were on that floor, but they would have to move. If the complaints continued very long, perhaps they could sleep in the snow, he thought.

"I'm not very good at wards," admitted Alvin hesitantly, his thoughts betraying a number of times when his dorm mates had broken down his wards exposing him and his current young lady to their ridicule.

What passed for a smile crossed Voldemort's face as he looked around the circle, studying his death eaters. "Walden, you do the ward," said Voldemort. 

"What about apparition wards?" said Walden. "I can't do them alone."

Voldemort dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand, and raised his voice to include all of the circle. "The fourth floor is off limits," he said. "On pain of losing your soul."

"Anything else, Alvin?" he asked, but he knew there was not. Alvin's mind was completely open to him, not by choice, but open nonetheless. The boy was right; he was lousy at wards. 

"No, Master."

"Alright. Timing," continued Voldemort, as He stalked around the Circle.

"When is the auspicious day?" asked Judson, and Voldemort turned eyes narrowing. 

The man was entirely too curious. It wasn't natural. "**Crucio!"** he spat, and then reached forward to touch the man's quivering body. The flames were licking through the skin and bone, exploding like miniature fireworks in displays of hot color. His blood had reached a fever pitch and he began to scream, but Voldemort saw nothing that would declare the man a spy. Voldemort let him drop to the ground and continued.

"I was saying. Our timing must be perfect. When Alvin has set all the dementors in place, he will activate his Mark. Alvin, let them identify your magic. Gently now," Voldemort warned. "You will all have to endure several burns of the Mark. I don't want to sap your energy from this task. I only want to remind you of the time. Alvin."

Voldemort nodded, and Alvin touched His wand gently to his Dark Mark and closed his eyes against the swift sting of the burn. "Well done," Voldemort praised him, and pushing back the sleeve of his robe, Voldemort laid His hand over Alvin's Mark pouring pure pleasure into it from His magic as He released the excess Elemental magic from the crucios, the beauty of the hot fire blinding Alvin to all else. Alvin, got the largest dose, although some bled back through the Dark Mark. Alvin immediately sucked in his breath. His arms went slack and his eyes glazed like someone in a trance or drugged. 

Voldemort enjoyed the quick blending of their magics and smiled. "I'm so proud of you, son," said Voldemort, and something in Voldemort's words brought Alvin out of the stupor. His thoughts flew to his real father, the previous holder of the box. Is my father alive? he wondered.

Voldemort frowned. Although he had spoken of Eldon Nott in the Circle, it was never within hearing distance of Alvin. He had been very grateful that Dumbledore had chosen to keep the boy in the dark about his little spell; otherwise he probably would have been obliged to try to rescue the wretch. Yes, he thought, Dumbledore was acting according to plan, telling the children too little, too late, once again. Unless Dumbledore had decided to tell Alvin after all—

"Where did you hear your father was alive?" Voldemort asked.

Lauren. The thought came immediately. "My father is dead," Alvin said aloud, confused by the question.

Voldemort moved on, wondering if Alvin was even aware in his state of ecstasy what he betrayed, but Voldemort resolved to bring Lauren Avery before him, and soon, as soon as this next task was completed. Sooner, if the sisters could accomplish the task without him.

"The Lestrange twins will accompany Alvin with Death Eaters escorting them on each level. Alvin will count one minute and then call the dementors back. This should open a path for our strongest Death Eaters."

"They are just children," murmured one of his death eaters.

****

**"Crucio!"** spat Voldemort, and the Death Eater dropped, screaming: Chauncey Malone. By the time Voldemort reached him, he had passed out. "Those of you who complain about the children, will find yourself replaced by a child." said Voldemort, as he put the point of his boot underneath the man's ribs and kicked, rolling the unconscious man out of the circle. "You have been warned, Chauncey." 

Voldemort searched the circle for an appropriate child, and his eyes fell on the young Malfoy. Perfect, thought Voldemort. The boy craved power, let's see how he dealt with it. "Draco Malfoy," said Voldemort. "Come here." A moment of fear shot through the boy, as he tried to ascertain if he had done anything wrong. 

"**Ennervate!"**said Voldemort, and as Chauncey dragged himself to his feet, Voldemort said, "Draco Malfoy will replace you in the front of the Circle." Voldemort paused, listening to who felt Draco did not belong here. Most angered where the Lestrange twins. Yes, they wanted the spot for themselves. Well, they would have a chance to move up in the circle soon enough. Voldemort looked at Chauncey." "You have the sole responsibility of finding my bunny. You have one week."

The only sound the man made was a terrified gasp. Voldemort didn't bother to touch the man. His fear was too predictable.

"You should start now. Get out."

"Yes, Master," he choked before he ran from the room.

Briefly, Voldemort put his attention on Draco Malfoy. He sensed a definite wariness and curiosity as to why he was chosen to move up in the Circle. "Let's see you earn your place," Voldemort told him calmly.

"Yes, Master. I will," said Draco.

Voldemort moved further around the Circle, continuing to explain. "Once the children have opened the path, the bulk of our forces will move. The rest of you have your assignments and floors. Narcissa and Valeriana will be on traffic control at the door and stairway. Since their own Apparation wards will still be up, the lift and the stairways will be the only method of escape. We have no reason to kill the purebloods, but we do want them down for at least an hour. The mudbloods you can kill. Swiftly. There will be no time for play. We can play later with the purebloods who are stubborn."

  
  
"Severus," said Voldemort, glancing thoughtfully back at the Animagi. Gavin lived here, but Millicent and Pritch were expected to return to Hogwarts. "I will be keeping two of your students tonight, Severus. You will make the appropriate excuses to their teachers at Hogwarts as to why they won't be at supper. I doubt they will want breakfast either." 

"Yes, Master," Severus nodded.

Voldemort surveyed the circle, noting that Samara had failed to answer his invitation to join him in the circle. His eyes narrowed in fury, but he contained himself. There was nothing he could do to force her. Yet. 

"You are dismissed," Voldemort said, dropping the Apparation wards and motioning the Circle away. In a flutter of movement, the group either Apparated or walked from his presence.

Voldemort turned his red eyes to the Animagi waiting outside the area of the circle. "What shall I do with you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Let us go?" pleaded several of their thoughts, but none of them spoke aloud.

"No, no, no. I can't let you go," Voldemort said blandly as he pulled Wormtail from his pocket and let him crawl over his hand from one to the other the way rats do. Voldemort wondered if his repeated Crucios had made the rat stupid. "If I let you go, that would cause chaos," he continued. "When a wizard does something so grievous as to allow someone who belongs to me to escape, they have to be punished. The question is should I let you live or not."

That sent the fear level rising. Voldemort smiled. "Well, before I decide," Voldemort continued, "I understand one of you cannot block Wormtail's Terricula. Is that correct?"

His eyes rested on Owen Pritchard. "I can block it," said Owen, "but I was surprised."

"I see," said Voldemort, dropping Wormtail on the floor and ordering him to transform back into a wizard. Wormtail did so. The man was a wreck, spit and blood drying on his robes. It was possible, thought Voldemort wrinkling his sensitive snake nose, that the man had lost control of his bladder. Probably during the last Crucio, sighed Voldemort. Wizards were so delicate these days. As he raised his wand, Wormtail flinched. **"Pergo!"** said Voldemort cleaning him up a bit.

"P-p-p-p-please," stammered Wormtail. "I raised you. W-w-w-w-when no one came. I came."

"Only out of fear, not loyalty," said Voldemort. "We've had this conversation before, Wormtail, and I don't like to repeat myself. This is the second one of my people you have lost, Wormtail. See what forgiving you the first did? It made you sloppy. I should have punished you more severely after you lost Crouch and you would have been more careful now."

"Y-y-y-y-you did p-p-p-punish me," said Wormtail.

"Not enough," said Voldemort, noting with satisfaction that the others heart rates rose accordingly. He could now clearly smell the sweat from each of them. Each had their own distinct smell of fear. He flicked his tongue, tasting, savoring.

"Can you still do a spell, do you think?" Voldemort asked.

"Y-y-y-yes," said Wormtail trying to stand steady. 

"You did Terricula on this boy, and he couldn't block it. I wonder if he can block it now?" Voldemort paced around the little group, enjoying their fear. "If he can block it, I'll allow him to throw a spell at you. If he can't, well, he'll have to be punished, won't he? He can never learn if there is no incentive to win, can he?"

"N-n-n-n-o, Master," said Wormtail.

"Very good. Do it."

Wormtail closed his silver hand around his wand and threw the spell, **"Terricula!"**Even in his sorry state, the spell was strong enough to partially penetrate Owen's shield. Owen whimpered and threw off the spell.

**"Crucio!"** said Voldemort directing the spell at the barely recovered Owen Pritchard.

After a moment of screaming, Voldemort let up on the spell. "That was pathetic," said Voldemort. "Is that all the better you can block?"

"I can do better," said Owen. "But I just usually transform instead of blocking and—"

"**Crucio!** No excuses," said Voldemort. He again waited for the boy to recover himself "We should try that again," said Voldemort. "Oh, I forgot, that hand isn't really yours, is it Wormtail?"

"Master, n-n-o-o-o-!" he screamed as Voldemort called his magic back to himself, the silver hand dissolving into a molten mass. It dripped from Wormtail like hot wax and left in its place a bloody stump. Wormtail's screams filled the room and the hand leaked blood as if it had just been severed. Voldemort waited. It seemed to take a long time for the rat to get control of himself. Once his screams had died down to whimpers, 

Voldemort said, "Now cast Terricula, Wormtail."

"I-I can't do it left handed," moaned Wormtail, sinking to the floor cradling his wounded arm. 

"Pity," said Voldemort thoughtfully. "I hope you can block left handed. You cast the Terricula, then," he told Owen.

"No!" cried Wormtail.

Several Terriculas and Crucios later, Voldemort paused. "You know, this isn't fun at all. It's getting rather boring. Perhaps a contest—yes," he said. "That would be exciting, don't you think?"

No one answered, but once again, the fear level increased. "What would you like as the stakes?" he asked.

Still no one answered. That would not do. They needed to answer him. "Answer me," he said softly. He directed the Crucio randomly, hitting Millicent this time and her screams caused the hawk to come forward a step, but he caught himself and froze where he stood. They were all panting with fear and exertion. "What would you like as the stakes?" he asked again.

"No punishment," rasped Millicent, her voice nearly gone from the screaming.

"Very well," said Voldemort. "I will consider it. And now, I shall tell you the contest."

"Speed. Wits. Accuracy," said Voldemort excitedly. "You are all Animagi, we shall have a contest to see who is the most deadly. Yes," he said. "Change into your Animagi. Quickly. Quickly." Within seconds they had all changed except Voldemort. He picked up Wormtail and held him by the tail. "We shall have a contest to see who can catch Wormtail."

"Can we eat him?" asked Millicent already recovering from His crucio.

"Yes," said Voldemort, his eyes brightening with the prospect of the chase. He truly liked the girl, better than he liked Wormtail, actually. "If you catch him, you can eat him,"

Wormtail squeaked, and Nagini, protesting, slithered out of the corner, "{You said I could eat him.}"

"{Very well, Nagini, would you like the rabbit instead?}" Voldemort waved his hand at the still muted hawk and Accioed the bunny from his grasp.

"{Yes,}" Nagini agreed hastening forward, as Voldemort dropped the rabbit. Nagini immediately struck and happily began to swallow the bunny, which had been masquerading as Beatrice. 

"Now," said Voldemort, "the one who catches Wormtail shall escape with no further punishments. Yes!" he said. "What an excellent game! Remember, don't waste time attacking each other; Wormtail is the goal. Voldemort hesitated a moment dropping the muting spell from Gavin and giving him back his mouth. All the while, Wormtail clawed to get loose. Oh, do stop your scratching Wormtail, I would imagine this should be a fairly quick death, and you knew you would die if you failed me again. I told you long ago—remember? Ready? Begin." He dropped the rat on the floor and Wormtail darted for a crack in the wall, while the ferret and cat scrabbled for position. The hawk rose directly into the air trying to get enough height for a good kill. Voldemort waited only a second watching the excitement, before saying, "Of course, if I catch him, you all lose." 

He transformed into one of his snake Animagi and slithered after the rat.

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS:**

****

xMuted-Faithx: I just love your long involved reviews. I really look forward to them. I know what you mean about people who don't like Harry Potter. And Tom isn't going to kick Draco's ass anytime soon Tom doesn't even have a body—well ok, he has Ginny's—but really. LOL Hope this last chapter pleased your sense of the morbid, torture and all that. If you don't have enough, you might want to come and join our role play. It's a yahoo group, HarryPotterRP, but we barely have enough Gryffs to fill our Great Hall Chats. On the other hand, we can have a DE meeting at a moments notice. I see you were right there with the Durmstang boys questioning Draco under veritaserium. Honestly, "Adhere." Now you're stuck. Be glad I didn't sic my basilisks on you. Yes, Samara was pretty bitchy, but then don't we all know girls that let boyfriends run them and forget their loyalties. Can't have all the girls do the right thing you know.

Harpy: raining here today. Good day to read or write. Glad you are enjoying.

Tiamat Warcraft: Pineapples! Gotta go read Tiamat Warcraft's Angel of Secrets. Cool. Anyway, glad you enjoyed this chapter.

XMuted-Faithx: You are right; I NEVER SAID Snape was on the Light side. And I never said Snape was truthful. We know that Volde can't read him as easily as the others, but would he really have the guts to straight out lie to the Dark Lord? And if he did, would that place him in Gryffindor? Shivers. What an awful thought!

_XMuted-Faithx: I took the aura test too at auracolors.com a while ago._

_Here's my results._

Red 6, orange 7, magenta 10, yellow 6, Realistic.tan 0 Environmental tan 2, sensitive tan 2, abstract tan 5, Green 11, blue 5, Violet 11, lavender 6, crystal 3, indigo 9

I think it is probably about right. Green, Violet and Magenta. Harry, Samara, Draco (I couldn't see Samara saying Draco's aura was magenta in the beginning chapters) and Aldwin. LOL

You said "Wait, hold on-is he discriminating against women? I feel kind of surprised, but I shouldn't be. Voldemort/Slytherin is a racist and hates everyone who isn't a witch or a wizard." You also have to remember Salazar's time period, and even Tom's-Way before Women had rights of any kind. Glad you see the nuances in Snape.

Cara the Mord Sith: Don't worry. Harry with Cho? Sniggers. Don't count on it. I'm your fav adventure writer on fanfic? Oh how sweet.

Christina: Glad you liked the parseltongue in front of Draco. I thought it was ingenious and no one noticed. Sigh. Ginny, Samara and Draco as a Slyth version of the trio. LMAO. Well, maybe but if so, Ginny is more like Harry. She's the central character You wrote: "Pettigrew's already missing a finger; how about a match set?" You found satisfactory violence in this chapter, I hope?

The Elemental Sorceress: Glad you enjoyed.

Ennui deMorte: I know you love Gin's comment, "Not me" and one day soon perhaps Gin and Samara will work some of the kinks out of their friendship. It can't really happen at the Snow Castle though, can it. OH-oh. Did I just imply that they will be rescued? UM –er that depends upon your impression of "rescue". Maybe the girls will be doing the rescuing. Who knows. Well, I do, but I'm not telling. Confused yet?

Elbereth: Annoyed at Draco for underestimating Ginny? Well, he doesn't think much of the Weasley's and he's still judging her by her brother. Do you know people who judge you by your siblings actions. Drives you crazy right? Well—that's the point.

REMEMBER 15 REVIEWS GETS THE NEXT CHAPTER. If you review really fast, I might take pity on you and put it up faster. It's a really fun chapter and I can't wait for you to review it. Come and discuss at the Yahoo group. TheSeersTruth


	17. CH 17: Harry the Hero

**The Seers Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job helping to make these chapters better than I could make them alone. Thanks ennui!

**Chapter 17**

**Harry the Hero**

Lauren was sitting with Millicent in the Slytherin Common Room while Millicent painted her fingernails with fire red nail polish that Lauren had bought from the Weasley twins. "I still can't believe I have my fingernails back. It is so nice to have fingernails," she sighed.

"What happened at the Snow Castle?" asked Lauren. "I mean, Alvin was never the strong silent type. He won't talk about any of it. He's so distant, lately. Going off by himself into the Forbidden Forest—I'm worried—"

"Is that where his is now?" asked Millicent.

Lauren nodded. 

"You could always come to the Snow Castle next time we're called and see for yourself what's happening," said Millicent.

Lauren shook her head.

"Alvin's ok," said Millicent in an offhand way. "He's probably going into the Forbidden Forest to work with the dementors, or else he's got a portkey back to the Snow Castle. No one's allowed on the forth floor so Alvin can play with the dementors."

"Play?" said Lauren

"Some spell," Millicent said dismissively. "Oh dear. I got my cuticle. I have to do this one over." She removed the nail polish from her ring finger and began again.

They looked up as Pritch came into the room carrying a small parcel. "Hey Pritch," called Millicent. "You still look a little pale. Are you going to class tomorrow?"

"Yeah," said Pritch. "His venom wasn't much worse than the Dark Mark. I count myself lucky. I mean, there wasn't much else I could do, was there?" He opened the box, pulled out a list of cities and frowned at it. He sighed and pushed the box away.

"What's the matter?" asked Millicent.

"I can't do these portkeys," he said in disgust. "I've never been to these places. I have to floo to them first." He sighed and rubbed his hand over the swollen snake bite marks on his shoulder and upper arm.

"Oh, too bad," said Millicent without much sympathy.

"He—bit you?" asked Lauren shivering with disgust as she eyed the yellowish bruises that showed at the top of his robe.

"A ferret is a match for a snake," said Millicent as she did a drying spell on her nails.

"Ha!" Pritch spat. "You and Gavin are both stupid. We couldn't beat him to the rat. As soon as he entered the contest, it was over."

"But he gave Gavin points for daring," said Millicent.

"Only after the _Crucio_," said Pritch. "And only because you sunk your delicate little claws into the hawk and dragged him off."

"Well, He told Wormtail too many times all he had to do was transform into a wizard while he was in my mouth. I had visions of the Dark Lord, as a wizard, in Gavin's talons, while Gavin was trying to pluck Wormtail from his mouth." Millicent curled her lip in distaste.

"I don't know Millicent. I think the Dark Lord was giving him time to think what he was doing. If he had let go of the snake, he might not have ended in the dungeons."

"You're boyfriend is in the dungeons?" said Lauren appalled.

"Yeah, but he's ok," said Millicent examining her nails. "And he isn't my boyfriend. I wish they made this polish in peach," she said waving her fingernails, and shooting flames across the room. "Red is so vulgar, don't you think?"

"Merlin!" snapped Pritch. "You reminded me of Ethan for a moment there with the flying fire."

"It's just a joke, not real fire," said Millicent. "Courtesy of the Weasley twins."

"Ah, yes," said Pritch. "All hail the Weasley twins, their innovations and their wonderful potions."

Lauren sniggered. "I have a good notion to tell them what that potion is being used for. I'll bet they'd shut off your supply."

"Bite your tongue," said Pritch.

"She'd rather bite Alvin," said Millicent, examining her fingernails.

"Millicent," said Lauren. "You have a fixation with biting, you know that?" She shook her head. "Your—this Gavin—isn't really in His dungeons, is he? What happened?"

"I told you," said Millicent. "The Dark Lord was in his Animagus form and Gavin was a hawk. Snakes are natural prey of hawks. I guess he just sort of lost his head."

"No," said Pritch dryly. "He lost his talons, and his wings, but I think he still has his head."

"Oh," said Lauren. "That isn't funny, Pritch."

"I know," said Pritch. "I was there. I know it wasn't funny. It made me wish we left the bunny alone."

"What bunny?" asked Lauren.

"Beatrice," said Pritch.

"Beatrice! Is she alright?"

"Don't know," said Pritch. "We stole her from Wormtail and then we lost her. The Master was pretty mad at us, but he let us live. He killed Wormtail and Shaul."

"You know, I agree with you Pritch," said Millicent, applying a second coat of nail polish. "There was no way I was going to catch that rat once He joined us as the snake Animagus. I wanted to make a good showing, but I wouldn't have caught Wormtail. Of course, if he had just been watching, I would have beaten you."

"No, you wouldn't," said Pritch. "Ferrets are definitely faster than cats."

"We could transfigure someone into a rat and see," said Millicent screwing the lid back onto the polish.

"No, you couldn't," said Lauren, drawing her wand and glaring at Millicent. She turned to Pritch. "Was Alvin involved in any of this?" she asked.

"No," said Pritch. "He didn't have anything to do with Beatrice's escape."

"But he had to do with Beatrice's capture," said Lauren. "He told me so."

Millicent shook her head. "He would have caught that stupid bunny no matter what anyone did. What I can't understand is why she didn't transform back to a witch instead of letting him _Crucio_ her in the first place. Stupid Gryfindors."

"Yeah, stupid," echoed Pritch.

"So come with us next time He calls," said Millicent. "Are you coming with us?"

Lauren shook her head no.

Millicent shrugged. "It's only a matter of time you know."

Later, at supper, Dumbledore stood and addressed the school with the sonorous charm. He gestured to Beatrice Ellis who, still in bunny form, was resting on McGonagall's lap.

"Today, we have back with us a member of our school that we had thought was lost. Through the heroic efforts of Harry Potter, we have Beatrice Ellis here with us today."

Applause began at the Gryffindor table as the students turned to look at Harry and carried sporadically through the other tables. Harry wanted nothing so much as to Disapparate. He could have done so, since the internal wards were still down, but he thought it would be rude to leave when Dumbledore was praising him.

He didn't deserve the accolades. _What had he done?_ Hid in a closet. Made a portkey and brought back a bunny. It was luck and Draco that really saved Beatrice. Without Draco's help, he wouldn't have even gotten to the Snow Castle, much less back. It still bothered him that he couldn't save Samara and Ginny.

"The medi-witches at St. Mungo's tell us," continued Dumbledore, "that Beatrice has the most chance of returning to her witch state if she is exposed to her regular routine, so I am going to ask that you all treat her as you would if she were well and in her witch form."

Harry looked at the tiny bunny held in McGonagall's lap. Even though Dumbledore considered the expedition a success, how could he feel good when Beatrice was still a bunny?

"This prophecy," continued Dumbledore, "says that it is Harry Potter who will finally rid the world of the Dark Lord." Harry glanced at the Hufflepuff table. They were looking at him with varying degrees of horror and hero worship.

"We must be resolute," Dumbledore said. "The time for action is finally here."

Harry noticed that about half of the Ravenclaws were listening intently, the other half were hiding behind books. Most of the Slytherins looked bored or disgusted. Warrington was making gagging noises while Crabbe and Goyle edged him on. Malfoy scowled at him and when their eyes caught, Harry looked away embarrassed because Malfoy should have been receiving the accolades too, but Dumbledore didn't know about Malfoy's part in the rescue. Even if he did, Malfoy's association with the Dark Lord would not allow him to receive the praise.

As Dumbledore droned on, practically telling all of the Slytherins that he wanted to take back the Prophecy Child and defeat Voldemort before the Prophecy Child became too powerful and was a threat on the side of Voldemort. Eventually, Harry tuned Dumbledore out, instead, watching the Slytherin table with something more than interest. The way Dumbledore was going on, it was a wonder the Slytherins weren't taking notes to return to the Dark Lord._ The Gryffindors' plans for your downfall._ _Here you are Sir, all we have to do is wait for the Gryffindors to show up._

_Gosh_, he thought, _he was getting as cynical as some of the Slytherins. _ It must be from being around Malfoy so much this last week.

Although Harry had thought it rude to leave before Dumbledore finished speaking, he left moments after Dumbledore sat down. Supper has seemed particularly tasteless.

Harry walked out into the foyer and stopped. "Cho," he breathed.

"Hi Harry." She came over to him and caught his hand. "I was just telling my friends how exciting it is to be your girlfriend and after the Headmaster Dumbledore's speech. Well, you must be proud," she finished.

Harry nodded, and after a moment of silence, Cho's friends started to disperse leaving the two of them standing alone in the foyer. Harry had never felt a more awkward moment. Even when he had asked Cho to the Yule Ball, he had planned something to say. He was completely tongue tied. _Why was it that he never felt this awkward with Hermione or Ginny for that matter?_ Thoughts of Ginny made him remember how she blushed and stuttered in his presence. In fairness he now realized how awful it was for Ginny to climb over these silences in first year.

"Knut for your thoughts," Cho said and Harry, who never thought of being anything but truthful, said, "I was thinking of Ginny."

"Oh—" Cho's face darkened momentarily, but she put on a tight smile and continued to gaze at Harry.

"I meant—Samara and Ginny are still out there—with Voldemort," explained Harry.

"Of course," said Cho. The silence stretched before them. "Well, I have homework," she said at last.

"Me too," said Harry, and then continued, rescuing the conversation from the dark pit of silence into which they had sunk. "Want to meet me in the library?" The words were barely out of his mouth when he regretted them. The reason they were studying in the library was to make themselves accessible to the Slytherins. The last thing he needed to do was to try to explain to Cho Chang why he had to go with Draco. He found himself hoping that she would say no.

"Sure. I'll come," she said. "Half an hour?"

"Ok," Harry agreed and went up to the Gryffindor tower to get his books.

Ron listened intently and commented in all the right spots, while Harry recounted his woes with Cho.

"She's terribly pretty," said Harry.

"Awesome," agreed Ron.

"And she's smart."

Ron shrugged.

"And very nice."

"So what's the problem?" asked Ron.

Harry sighed. "I just don't think it's fair to agree to date her when I know I don't love her. I mean—I like her, but—" Harry looked away.

Ron studied his friend with narrowed eyes. "You think she's hot."

"Yes," said Harry, patently avoiding his friend's eyes.

"So don't think of her as a girlfriend," said Ron. "Think of her as a snogging partner."

"What!" Harry looked at his friend and took in the mirth in his twinkling eyes. He felt a blush color his face.

"You _have_ kissed her, right?" asked Ron.

"Well," said Harry uncomfortably. "No."

Ron frowned at him. "Harry, you have kissed a girl before haven't you?"

"Oh yeah," said Harry quickly, thinking he was absolutely not going to tell Ron that it was Ginny he had kissed.

"So why haven't you kissed her?" persisted Ron.

"Actually? It seemed—premature."

Ron held his head and sighed. "Look, it's not like she has claimed her undying love for you either," said Ron. "I mean, if you don't at least try to kiss her, and –erm other things, she's going to think you don't like her. It makes girls feel good to think you can't keep your hands off of them."

He couldn't quite reconcile what Ron was saying with Ron's relationship with Hermione. It was not a thought he wanted to dwell on. "Are you sure?" Harry asked in a strangled whisper, the color rising in his cheeks. "I mean, I—respect her—"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Fred says that women only start talking about _respect_ when they really don't like you. He should know, I think Angelina is about number fifteen. Anyway, yours is a unique situation. Don't make it more than it is. Cho just wants to prove something to Hermione about her bravery. Consider it a good trade, Harry. You get snogging rights. She gets to be brave."

"Ron!" scolded Hermione from the doorway. "Is that what you think? Snogging rights indeed!"

"I didn't know you were there, Hermione," said Ron.

"Obviously," she said, eyes flashing.

"Anyway, I wasn't talking about you and me. I was talking about Cho."

"That's no way to make a woman like you, Harry." said Hermione.

She pulled out a piece of parchment and began to make a list, speaking as she wrote,

"Be thoughtful.

Candy

Flowers," she wrote.

"You can pick them yourself," she said, "so it doesn't have to be expensive. It's the thoughtfulness that counts."

She frowned, nibbling the end of the quill. "Jewelry," she said, " but only if you're serious, romantic dinner, Hogsmeade, Madam Puddlefoot's—"

"No Astronomy Tower?" questioned Ron, looking over her shoulder.

"No," said Hermione. "It's positively crass."

"As I remember," began Ron, but Hermione glared at him.

"And too crowded," she said sharply.

"Hey, I could show you how to make the little niche in the wall spell," began Ron.

"I know how," said Harry. "Hermione showed me."

"Wha—Hermione?"

"It was completely innocent," interjected Hermione. "It was when the girls got taken. We were hiding from Death Eaters."

"Oh."

"Hey, I know, Harry!" said Ron. "She wants to be brave. Take her to the Chamber of Secrets."

"What?"

"Well, if I had that big brass bed at my disposal, I sure wouldn't be messing around with a niche in the wall."

"Ron!" said Hermione red faced.

He shrugged, muttering, "You only live once, and in your case, Harry—"

The slap of Hermione's hand connecting with Ron's cheek reverberated through the common room. Several first and second years sniggered as the red welts stood out in Ron's cheek.

"Hermione," began Ron, "I didn't mean _you_—"

"Don't Hermione, me," she snapped, "and go to the library without me. I can't stand the sight of you, Ron Weasley, you immature little—oh—"

She turned and rushed up the stairs.

"Hermione!" called Harry. "Wait. What about Draco?:

Harry clapped his hand over his mouth as the first and second years began whispering furiously.

"Good one, Harry," said Ron sarcastically. "Bloody brilliant."

"I didn't upset Hermione," Harry said in his own defense. "You did."

"She'll come around," sighed Ron. "You go to the library without me. It will give you some time alone with Cho."

"What are you going to do?" asked Harry.

"Go to the owlery and compose a particularly groveling note," said Ron. "It beats apologizing in person."

Actually, the study time in the library went rather well. Harry finished all of this homework in record time and Cho unwittingly supplied some new fodder for divination.

When the library closed, Harry offered to walk Cho back to her dorm. They paused in the foyer near the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. People were walking to and fro. Various couples were kissing goodnight, oblivious to onlookers scowls of disapproval or envy.

"Snogging rights," thought Harry, taking his courage in his hands, he put down his books on a hall table and brushed the hair back from Cho's face. She really was beautiful. He told her so, and watched her dark lashes flutter downwards, lying across her cheek. He took her books from her hands and laid them on the corner table beside his own.

Then he stepped in to her, brushing her lips with his own. He meant it to be a simple chaste kiss. After all, neither of them really fancied the other, but some how what began as a simple brush of the lips moved well beyond that.

Perhaps it was when Cho leaned her body against his. Perhaps it was her soft sighing against his mouth. Perhaps it was the insistent pressure of her tongue seeking entrance to his mouth. Whatever it was, regardless to the fact that neither he nor Cho really had any love for one another, his body thought otherwise. When she shifted, whether accidentally or on purpose, so that her left leg was wedged between his, he found himself asking her if she wanted to see the Chamber of Secrets.

"It's a myth," she said.

But he corrected her, telling her about the stone statue of Salazar and the carved basilisks and saving Ginny Weasley in second year. The thought of Ginny Weasley calmed his ardor like a bucket of ice water.

"So is Ginny the only one who has seen this Chamber besides you?" asked Cho innocently.

"Oh no," said Harry. "Ron has and Hermione—"

"Hermione," breathed Cho. "I'll come." She lifted her chin a little. "How about tomorrow after supper?"

"Ok," said Harry, resisting the urge to say, It's a date. It seemed entirely too surreal to consider a trip to the Chamber of Secrets as a date.

"Tomorrow, then," he repeated, and he brushed her lips again with a soft kiss.

Cho jerked away suddenly. "Oh, Harry," said Cho. "I almost forgot, we have a huge History of Magic test on Friday. I can't believe I forgot!" She blushed. "Could we postpone this little trip until next week, Harry?"

"—er. Sure."

"I mean, schoolwork has to come first doesn't it?"

"I guess so," said Harry.

"I can prove I'm brave anytime," she whispered. "Right Harry?"

"Yes," said Harry, thinking this was exactly why she was sorting into Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor. "Do you want to study with me tomorrow?"

"Oh yes," said Cho, "But—" she grinned at him. "We really have to get more studying done tomorrow."

"Ok," Harry agreed, taking Cho back into his arms and for a few minutes, studying was the last thing on either of their minds.

After she entered Ravenclaw Common Room, he stood for a moment collecting himself. That when rather well, he thought, blowing out his breath as he pulled his robe around himself and headed for Gryffindor Tower. He was surpremely thankful for his robes when a cool voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Potter, a word—"

He turned, looking into the accusing black eyes of Severus Snape. It wasn't after curfew yet. _How long had he been lurking there?_ wondered Harry angrily. _What was the miserable bat doing out of his dungeon anyway?_

Snape's lip curled into a sneer. "Last I heard, I was permitted to venture from my dungeon," said Snape coldly, and Harry blanched. "Since you seem to have a penchant for protecting Longbottom, I thought I would warn you, Potter."

"Warn me?"

"Yes. Your Invisibility Cloak only cloaks your physical form, not your thoughts—or his."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Harry, thinking that Snape did nothing out of the kindness of his heart. There had to be a trick.

"No trick," said Snape. "Just exercising my guardianship of the boy-who-lived," snarled Snape, "and trying to keep it that way," Snape muttered. "Though Merlin knows why."

"And you came up here—followed me?"

"I did not follow you, Potter," sneered Snape. "I didn't even plan on warning you about Longbottom, until you--"

"What did you come for then?" interrupted Harry sharply, expecting house points to be taken for his cheek, but Snape just looked at him with those unfathomable dark eyes.

"I came to tell you—Wormtail is dead."

Harry frowned, wondering why Snape thought it important to tell him of Wormtail's demise. It wasn't like he would miss the rat—he had left him go in third year and had regretted that action several times since then. He certainly didn't want to kill Wormtail himself, but he wouldn't lose any sleep over the loss either.

"So—" Harry spat unfeelingly.

"So," growled Snape. "He was—" Snape paused and then continued with cold precision. "There is no body to show the Ministry, and, without a body, your godfather will remain a criminal indefinitely."

"His silver hand?" asked Harry.

"Recalled by the Dark Lord," said Snape. "So you see, Potter, it appears that we are stuck with each other."

"You don't have to have anything to do with me," said Harry. "I prefer it that way—"

"On the contrary," said Snape in a low tone. "You are _my_ responsibility, and I take _my responsibilities_ very seriously. Your _preferences_, Potter, have nothing to do with it." Turning swiftly he glided silently into the shadows, reminding Harry uncomfortably of a dementor.

Harry breathed again, and as he climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, he thought about what Snape had said. _Exercising his guardianship, my ass,_ thought Harry. Snape had another motive, and although Harry had often thought Snape knew about his Invisibility Cloak, he had _never_ mentioned it. Harry paused, wondering how he could know, and then he thought, perhaps Dumbledore told him—or Draco? Yes, Draco asking for help in repairing the piece he had.

Harry had reached the fat lady when another thought struck him. Snape had said he had a penchant for protecting Longbottom. _When did he ever see Harry protecting Neville?_ Harry wondered. _Did he know that he, Harry, was with Neville the entire time Snape was breaking the memory charm?_ _Why wouldn't Snape tell him that before?_ It seemed like Snape would relish the chance to take house points and embarrass the Gryffindor. _Why did Snape tell him now?_ More importantly, how did he know? _His thoughts._ Snape could sense his thoughts when he was angry or emotional, and that meant Voldemort could too. And Snape _knew _about their planned excursion to the Snow Castle. Maybe Draco and Lauren got caught following him.

Harry ran his hand through his already messy hair and entered the Gryffindor Common room in a daze of thought.

"You don't look like you were studying," accused Hermione.

"Don't worry about it, Mate," said Ron with a wry grin, "Neither were we."

"Is something wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Wormtail is dead," said Harry.

Hermione slapped the Witch Weekly down on the table, narrowly missing Ron's pumpkin juice. "The Ministry can't ignore this anymore. It's ludicrous!"

"Wha—" said Ron around a mouth full of egg.

"Look at this," Hermione demanded and both Harry and Ron leaned in to read the newspaper over her shoulder. "More Gingotts money missing even though Dakon Garr is dead. The Dark Mark over Muggle areas. Muggle bombs set by wizard's portkeys—"

"Hermione, your parents are safe," said Ron. "Dumbledore—"

"This isn't about my parents," said Hermione hotly. "It's about the war. It's about all of the Muggles and all of the wizarding world too. It's about Voldemort."

The entire table stared at her as she spat the hated name.

"I didn't know you said his name," said Ron softly.

"I don't. I didn't. I do now," she spat.

"Well good, Hermione. That's good," said Harry. "More people should say his name and maybe it would inspire less fear."

"It wouldn't do the Muggles any good, would it?" demanded Hermione.

"No, but—" began Harry, and then he just stopped. "No," he said. "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" snapped Hermione. "You've done your best. You've done everything you could."

Harry looked at her. She sounded strangely like Rowenna Ravenclaw for a moment, and he frowned. "I should have killed him. I could have done it when he possessed Quirrel, I think. He was weak then."

"You were a _first year_," said Hermione. "We're all lucky we came out of that alive.

"We're lucky we came out of a lot of things alive," agreed Ron.

"And the next time—" said Harry. "Someone won't come out alive."

His friends lapsed into silence as Harry tried to come to terms with what they all knew was written in the prophecy. He closed his eyes, remembering the insubstantial body of Tom Riddle melting into the diary and then the blood on the Chamber floor. Maybe it wasn't blood. It was only ink, and Tom wasn't real, but he had killed him with the basilisk fang. He remembered Ginny in his arms.

"Soon," said Harry and his resolute green eyes met Hermione's across the table. "Any day now. Any moment, we go and get the girls." He had to force himself to be calm. All this planning was so foreign to him. It was unnerving. In the past, he had just seen the need for him to act and did what had to be done. Now, waiting and thinking was making him nauseous. He wondered if he would be able to kill Voldemort. He felt his heart beating in his throat. Or if he would die.

"Not much time," repeated Ron, but Hermione was dragging him to his feet unmindful of the food still on his breakfast plate.

"Right," growled Hermione. "Two minutes. That's how long you have to get to Divination. Move!"

"I hate Wednesdays," muttered Ron with a shiver. "Trelawney first thing in the morning. It's indecent."

"Don't worry, Hermione. We're not missing anything new," said Harry.

"Just the latest prediction of our deaths," said Ron, his face breaking into a smile.

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS;**

WHAT? YOU DIDN'T REVIEW? GET TO IT!

15 REVIEWS TO THE NEXT CHAPTER

Ennui deMorte: Yep. Evil. That's me.

Akiel: And you _should_ feel the curcio burning your skin. Where have you been? You must review on a regular basis. _Imperio!_ I know, Samara will get better, I promise. Remember she is the prophecy child. All houses. Now, which house would keep her safest in Volde's lair? You noticed she is a little Hufflepuff, did you? Can't be helped I wanted to keep her alive. Think about how she treated Snape who only took house points. She can't do that to Volde, now can she? So, different house. Now, did you enjoy Harry in this chapter?

Christina: I love your long reviews. They inspire me. This line of yours, is very important. Today I think everyone learned something: Lady Lestrange is not afraid of killing off semi-main characters. And now you know, yes, he is dead dead. Glad you like Gavin. I'm sure you were sad to learn he's in Volde's dungeon. I haven't written when he's gettingout…

Cara the Mord Sith: Well, very true, no happiness in the last chapter, but I hope I made you smile this time. Didn't like my catch Wormtail game? Well, you know Volemort _is_ the big evil bad guy. I was tired of having readers say _they liked him_. I think I finally got the last of them to say. Yep. Volde's evil. Promise Ginny is a survivor, but how she survives may surprise you.

Jager. Glad you liked

Trillium: You wrote: This chapter has cured me of liking Voldemort. Really. Again?

XMuted-FaithX I have to laugh. I got all these reviews saying how evil and sick Volde was in this chapter and you say Voldemort was hilarious. Ew. Voldemort's going to eat Wormtail. Eck! He eats people! He eats his Death Eaters. Ugh...how digusting. Now that's more the reaction I was looking for. Love your long reviews. Thanks. They tell me what I am doing right and what I could do better.

Harpy: Here's the good guys for you. And more good guy stuff is coming.

Silverfox1: I really wanted to read what you had in the first review that fanfic ate. Sigh. I know they have done that to me too. I almost always hit control c and copy the stuff before I send it, then I have it on a clipboard if fanfic kicks me off.

Kemenran: More is coming. In fact, the best is yet to come.

== 

(A/N: ok I know the title was a little tongue in cheek, but stay with me. More heroics is one the way. –LL)

Did you review yet?


	18. CH 18: Muggle See Muggle Die

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 18**

**Muddle See; Muggle Die**

Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte 

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews thor this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer**: The Harry Potter characters and the previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is emant or implied. No money is made from this fanfic. Thanks JK

For further discussion, visit:

**Yahoo groups, TheSeersTruth**

**Chapter 18**

**Muggle See; Muggle Die**

(**Author's Note**: Anyone who becomes offended by the way the Muggles from your country are treated, before you flame, please remember this is VOLDEMORT and LUCIUS MALFOY's opinion of muggles—the filthy vermin…And if you still want to flame, well, _Testudo! Incendio!)_

Voldemort rarely associated with muggles. He usually left the necessary arrangements to Wormtail because Wormtail was so perfectly suited to dealing with the vermin. However Wormtail was dead and he didn't trust just anyone to handle the delicate operation.

I told you, you need more Ravenclaws," said Tom 

Voldemort ignored the half-blood's chatter.

He took Lucius with him as his assistant to introduce him to handle any addional meetings, which might be necessary. They apparated outside of the Muggle building and as they approached the door, the guards moved aside.

"We have an appointment to see the Prime Minister," said Lucius. In any society, Lucius was a force to be reckoned with. With the slight push of Imperio, the Muggle had no chance to refuse. He clutched his head, as if he suddenly found himself with a headache, but made no move to try to stop Lucius or Voldemort. After all, what could he do?

The Prime Minister himself was a little stronger, but still, a Muggle and no match for the Dark Lord.. "We have found the weapon you have been seeking," said Voldemort.

"We have sought no weapon," said the Prime Miniters's aide carefully, and Voldemort eyes momentarily met the eyes of the man who had recognized his lie. They were a deep startling green, and he didn't flinch from Voldemort's stare. _Curious_, thought Voldemort. _Not a Muggle then, a Squib, but still controllable by Imperio._

"We have no need—" began the Prime Minister. "The joint UK-Irish peace initiative is working. We are at peace."

"We were not speaking of North Ireland," said Lucius Malfoy.

The aide whispered in the Prime Minister's ear, but of course, Voldemort heard every word. "These men are here for some nefarious purpose, Sir. I think we should call the guards."

"I think you should dismiss your aide," said Voldemort softly, his eyes again catching the aide's stare.

"You are dismissed," the Prime Minister told his aide.

"But sir?" The Prime Minister waved him away and with a last futile glance at Voldemort, the man left his superior in Voldemort's hands.

"We are at peace," the Prime Minister said again, pushing his glasses up on his nose in a gesture reminiscent of Harry Potter.

"Not for long," said Lucius. "We have intelligence that tells of our enemy—"

"What enemy?" snapped the Prime Minister.

"Germany," said Voldemort.

"Germany?" answered John Major. The Prime Minister was confused. "We have not had any difficulties with Germany—"

"Since I last visited," said Voldemort smugly, thinking how easy it had been to prey upon the Muggle's prejudices, over something as silly as what color of hair or eyes the creatures wore. This time he might have to be more subtle.

Then becoming bored with the tediousness of the task of convincing the Prime Minister, he used imperio, saying, "This is what you will do."

_"Perhaps you need more Hufflepuffs for these boring tasks," suggested Tom._

Voldemort and Lucius Apparated to their next victim.

"Germany is not as it was," warned Lucius. "The Muggles are more wary. They won't want to destroy each other simply because of eye color, and although belief in a supreme being still is important to some, for others it is not a matter to kill over, or die for."

"Money is still money, don't you agree?" said Voldemort.

"Yes," Lucius nodded. "And people who are greedy, do unaccountable things whether they are Muggle or Wizard."

"Yes, they do," Voldemort agreed.

When they were finished in Germany, they traveled to Russia and then China sowing the seeds of descent, and offering the means to end the war with biological weapons rather than the nuclear bombs that destroyed both cities, and of course Magic. Voldemort asked Lucius, "Do you have enough portkeys or do we need to return to the Snow Castle before out next outing?"

"Snow Castle," said Lucius,

Voldemort nodded once and they Disapparated.

After a short break at the Snow Castle, Voldemort and Lucius Apparated inside the muggle building and interrupted the Muggle at his breakfast. The guards were alerted to their presence but they only bowed appropriately putting their heads to the floor in prayer.. Voldemort did not acknowledge them. They were underlings. Of course even the man He greeted was an underling. He was a Muggle.

"Good day," Voldemort said to the Muggle who thought of himself as a king. He was clothed in an expensive Muggle suit, paid for with the embezzled funds from Gringotts vault, no doubt.

"Praise Allah, you have arrived!" he said in his lilting Muggle language, but Lucius had taken a translation potion and replied in his own language.

"Indeed we have," said Lucius dryly, "but I doubt that Allah had any thing to do with it".

Voldemort relied on his legilimency since his snake metabolism interfered with many potions and they had to be brewed accordingly. This Muggle was not worth the time to brew the specialized potion.

"Allah has given me and my people the task of cleansing the Earth. We are blessed," said the Muggle. "and I am blessed among the blessed."

"Yes," replied Voldemort in a bored tone, "Always pure." and the Muggle flinched with Voldemort's slightest touch on his mind. "We are united in the task of ridding the world of those who are impure." Voldemort turned and spoke to Lucius. "Give him the money he requires, and the list of the teachers who will instruct them on what they must know," said Volemort, anxious to get out of the company of the wretched being.

"They will not trust us," the Muggle contended. "They will not teach our people in the ways of war."

"Of course they will," replied Voldemort. "I have given you this gift."

The Muggle clapped his hands over his ears, the pain of simply having Voldemort touch his mind apparent in his face.

"The appropriate teachers have been chosen," said Lucius, "and the _Imperios_ done," he continued for Voldemort's benefit.

"You have seen to this yourself, Lucius?" questioned Voldemort in an undertone.

"Yes, Master," said Lucius. "The Mulcibers did the first group. Narcissa and I finished the rest with Maura's and Gloria's help.

"Who are these women?" asked the Muggle suddenly.. "Women must not partake—"

"Don't worry," said Lucius. "They aren't women."

"They're angels," said Voldemort raising his hand and the Muggle backed away a sudden searing pain in his head.

"They are fragile," Lucius warned as the muggle collapsed. "My grandfather killed several before he found one that didn't become a babbling idiot within moments after he was _imperioed_."

"Curious," said Voldemort. "He never told me." And Voldemort frowned as he felt a flash of discomfort from Lucius. "What else?" asked Voldemort, turning to his trusted Death Eater.

"What else?" repeated Lucius, keeping his mind carefully on the current situation.

"What else are you keeping from me, Lucius?"

"About the Muggles? Nothing. It would not have been on your assignment that the _imperio_ failed," said Lucius cooly. "Perhaps that's why no one ever mentioned it. If you use a very light touch, they can be controlled," said Lucius.

Voldemort didn't concern himself with the Death Eaters entertainment in the form of Muggle baiting. Apparently that is what Lucius meant when he said the _imperio_ might not have been on His assignment. After all, He would have only been a child when Lucius grandfather stood with Grindlewald. It couldn't have anything to do with what they were planning now, could it?

Voldemort _enervated_ the man and gave him the box of poison that Snape had made. This shall go in the drinking water of your enemies said Voldemort, and these shall allow you to go into your enemies lair to set your bombs, and to poison their water. You will not use nuclear weapons. That way, you will not destroy the Earth that Allah has created. Nor will you destroy the buildings and the property--only the enemies. Your martyrs will grasp it just as you did the earlier ones.

And must they also say "Praise Allah," before the miracle will work?" asked the Muggle.

"Exactly," said Voldemort, opening the box of portkeys. He smiled, wickedly pleased by the fact that their holy words were causing such destruction.

"Many are begging for the opportunity to serve," said the Muggle.

"Good," said Voldemort "I shall deny none of them. And now the matter of the women," said Voldemort.

My council was undecided," said the Muggle hesitantly.

"What!" snapped Voldemort. Thinking perhaps the man was going to try to renege on his deal. Twelve young women were in exchange for the poison and the portkeys and the money to fund their war. It was not an unfair price considering the men in this country considered the women as commodities anyway. Voldemort did not care about the women, either, but he did care about the Muggle's obedience. They needed to give up something important for the gift of victory, that he was handing to them. His face darkened in anger.

"No no, You misunderstand, Great One." The Muggle was on his knees, holding his head in obvious pain. "It is my decision, and mine alone. I will see that you have the women, but the council wished me to gain the certainty that the women will be allowed to continue their beliefs."

"Beliefs?" said Voldemort, not fully understanding. He reached out with his legilimency as gently as he could manage, but still the man cringed, Crying out and his hand went to his temple again.

"Oh, their religion," said Voldemort. "Oh, yes, I assure you," said Voldemort. "The women will be allowed to continue to pray. "In fact," He said in a dry voice. "I would wager, they will pray more in my land, than they do in yours "

"Where is your land, Master?" asked the Muggle.

"A place where you cannot go," replied Voldemort coldly.

The Muggle looked at him with an expression of rapt foolishness as he held his head with the pain of simply communicating with Voldemort. "I am blessed beyond blessed," he replied. With that, the Muggle delivered the women, wrapped in yards of cloth, so that Voldemort could barely tell what he was getting for his money, but it didn't matter.

"What are you going to do with the women?" Lucius asked after they had returned to the Snow Castle and were out of the Muggle's presence.

"Give them to my twelve best Death Eaters," said Voldemort, putting the women in Carman's care for the time being.

Lucius laughed. "Narcissa will not be amused," he predicted.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow wondering if Lucius was so sure that he was included in the twelve best. "I thought I would give one to Narcissa," said Voldemort. "They are much more graceful that house elves in serving tea." Voldemort smiled. "And I believe I will give one to your son," Voldemort said, thinking perhaps it would disrupt the annoying affection he had for Samara.

Lucius said nothing.

"One more stop," said Voldemort and then we can go home.

"The States?" said Lucius curling his lip in disgust.

"Yes Lucius," said Voldemort softly, they must be prevented from using their nuclear weapons. We must give them better ones, ones that will destroy the Muggles without destroying the Magic, and it won't hurt to stir up their mistrust of the others."

"Yes Master," said Lucius.

When they Apparated onto a hot, dusty lane, Lucius frowned. "This isn't Washington. It's too warm for mid-January," he said, staring at the estate that rivaled his own in massive beauty. It was hard to believe it belonged to a Muggle.

"No," replied the Dark Lord. "It's Tennessee, and this is the home of the Vice President."

"Vice President?" said Lucius. "Why the Vice President?"

"Don't you pay attention to your own _Imperios_, Lucius. The President will be dead by this time tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Master. That may have been one of the ones we delegated to Gloria or Maura."

Voldemort nodded, understanding. "Well, let's go meet our ally, shall we?" The two men walked up the lane, as a group of Muggles on horseback cantered up the lane behind them. Lucius turned ready to protect the Dark Lord from an attack, but none was forthcoming. Instead the men dismounted and one of them, draping the reins over his left arm inclined his head respectfully toward the Dark Lord. "Lord Voldemort," The Muggle said. "I am so pleased to welcome you to my home. "You must be Mr. Malfoy." The Muggle stuck out his right hand to Lucius. In fact, instead of waiting for Lucius to take it, he folded his sweaty bare hand around Lucius' immaculate gloves.

"Ya'll are early," said the Muggle, "But no matter. We don't stand on ceremony here. You gentlemen, are about to be treated to the best in southern hospitality." He handed his horse to one of the other men, as the animal attempted to wipe its sweaty face on the Vice President's sleeve. The Vice President simply rubbed the animal's face himself, unmindful of the dirt and sweat. Several more Secret Service officers came forward to escort them to the house, while others took the horses.

_The only thing worse than a Muggle, is an American Muggle_, thought Lucius wrinkling his nose in distaste. _At least I didn't touch it. I had gloves on—_

A handful of Secret Service men and Lucius Malfoy followed Lord Voldemort and the Vice President onto the ornately carved redwood and Douglas fir verandah.

Voldemort glanced at Lucius, as slow smirk growing across his face as he thought about Lord Voldemort's words this time tomorrow, the US President would be dead. The impetus for World War Three was set in place.

The next day, the assignment at the White House started out well enough: Judson complaining as usual. "I don't see why the American wizards don't handle their own. It's not our job—"

"If the Dark Lord says it's our job, it's our job," hissed Bode

"Yes, well," drawled Lucius. "One can't achieve world domination by sitting home in the UK." He wrinkled his nose. "Of course, I have doubts that there is anything worth domininating outside of the UK, truthfully, outside of England."

"I dinna think ye should let the Master hear ye say it, Lucius. He has his heart set on that wee bit o property of Dumbledore's in Scotland." Said MacDonald

Lucius laughed heartily. "There is that," he said. "But that's still the UK. What's our time?"

"Two minutes," said Judson. Technically, this was Judson's operation. He was the liaison between the UK wizards and the American wizards, but Lucius and Narcissa were the only inner circle Death Eaters present.

Lucius glanced at Narcissa. He shouldn't have. She tucked her blonde hair under her hood more securely, and looked back at him. He could feel her magic from her tingling erotically across his skin even from this distance. He could see the smile in her eyes and the passion in the tenseness of her body, his own body and his own magic reacting to that smile. He anticipated a good night tonight when they were finished with the Muggles, but right now, he needed to keep his mind on the task at hand Even though they were only muggles, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. He looked purposefully back at the other Death Eaters, but he still heard Narcissa's little snort of laughter.

Oh Narcissa, wait till I get you home, he thought, and then he studiously pushed that thought away. "OK everyone knows what they are supposed to do," said Lucius. Although he wasn't technically supposed to know who was with him, he had been on enough similar missions to recognize every single one of them in their Death Eater robes and masks. The secrecy was not for the Death Eater's benefit. It was for the Aurors. If caught, even under veritaserium, every Death Eater could answer truthfully that they didn't see their accomplice's face. Lucius glanced at each in turn. Bode, and Sturgis. He hadn't worked with either of them much, but Snape had vouched for both of them. There were the children, Alvin Nott, Gloria Snood, Maura Rosier, and Vincent Crabbe. He would have liked to leave Vincent Crabbe at home. He had drawn the line at Gregory Goyle who seemed to be joined at the hip to Vincent Crabbe. He didn't think the boys were gay. There was that incident with the Hufflepuff girl and Vincent in October. _What was her name? Suzy? Sally? Yes. Sally, that was it_. Lucius pulled his mind back to the task at hand, not that he really needed to concentrate. They were just Muggles. It was bad enough that he had to put up with the elder Goyle. It had taken a good bit of the Malfoy charm to convince the Dark Lord of Lucius' wisdom, but finally, the Dark Lord had relented, saying that he personally would take Gregory on a smaller mission to test his competence. Lucius had wanted to replace Gregory with his son Draco, but the Dark Lord had refused. He had been sending them on separate missions since the Prophecy Child incident. Perhaps it was just as well. Draco no longer took orders well from Lucius, and he couldn't have his authority questioned.

Maura and Gloria shuffled nervously, but didn't speak. They were alert and ready. Alvin and Vincent both looked a little more tentative, but ready too.

"The American Ministry has put up Apparition wards," said Judson, "But we can get through the front door with _Imperio_ and the fake passes. Only one wizard is among the Secret Service that guards their president. One of his guards is _imperioed_ to kill him as soon as the fighting starts."

Lucius nodded.

"And how are we getting out?" asked Narcissa.

"The heating vents," said Judson. "Just like we have at the London Ministry. As soon as we're clear, we apparate.

"Vents," sneered Narcissa. "That's so clich'. Don't these people ever think they should make vents too small to crawl through?"

"They are at Malfoy Manor," said Lucius, "and spelled against shrinking charms." _Among other things_, he added mentally thinking of some of the more vicious curses he had placed.

You four have your portkeys? Lucius asked the children. He didn't want to return without one of the Dark Lord's precious children when they forgot how to apparate in the heat of battle. "Remember," Lucius said. "The _Imperio_ is 'look away' We don't want to cause a commotion. We just want the Muggles to ignore us. Never underestimate the power of stealth." Lucius frowned. He didn't like being relegated to the status of babysitter, but he knew better than to say anything like that to the Dark Lord. Lucius Malfoy knew when to keep his mouth shut.

"Now, let's go find the President. It was Judson's job to kill him. Bode and Sturgis went one way. MacDonald went the other. The children, following Judson were nearly at the mark when a loud voice called. "You there! Where are you taking those kids? The tour is that way. These corridors are off limits to civilians."

**"Imperio!"** Judson murmured to one of the President's security officers. No sooner had the words been spoken when one of the American Death Eaters said _"_**Imperio.** Look the other way."

"I don't think so," said the security guard pulling a wand from inside his suit pocket.

"You get demoted again, Bob?" called one of the American Death Eaters to the Security guard who was holding a wand. "Next you'll be directing traffic on the Muggle road." But the security guard wasn't baited into attacking the American wizard. Instead, he raised his wand. "**Finite Incantum**," he said, and several of the imperios collapsed including the Muggle that was pointing his gun at the president. This allowed a whole corridor of Muggle policemen to understand that they were intruders.

"Get the President out of here!" called one of them

"Mr. President," called another as the black clad security men closed ranks around the man the wizards were supposed to kill.

Lucius hissed in disappointment. There went the stealth they were supposed to be using. "Damned Americans." The room broke into confusion as several British and American Death Eaters fired off spells. Gunshots sounded like the loud cracks of apparitions of incompetent house elves and the room was green with Avada mist and the acrid smell of gunfire.

"Protect the children," ordered President Bill Clinton as the Muggle security herded him toward the door. "Where's there tour? Get the children out of the line of fire!" He shoved one of the security guards towards Gloria and Maura.

Judson reacted quickly grabbing Gloria around the neck and saying, "I have explosives. Back off or the girl dies, along with everyone in this room."

Those engaged with the Malfoys continued to fire, but some of the policemen were uncertain, holding their weapons trained on Judson. "Do your _imperio_," Judson urged in Gloria's ear.

"Put down your weapons," whispered Gloria. Only the lone wizard still had his wand out as Judson decided to make a break for it. Still dragging Gloria, he turned and ran, Maura, Vincent and Alvin right beside him.

Suddenly Gloria felt Judson's body stiffen as the green light surrounded them.

**"Avada Kedavra!"** shouted the American wizard.

Panic welled up in Gloria. He was a Ministry wizard. He wouldn't do _Avada_! They weren't allowed. No she amended. They weren't allowed in the UK. She was in this barbaric country across the ocean that actually let their aurors do _Avada Kadavra_.

"**Auror Evocatiorum**" barked the American wizard, firing his wand into the air above his head.

"What did you just do?" snapped Lucius Malfoy.

"Summoned every auror in the country," sneered the American.

Gloria felt the fullness of tears in her nose and chest as fear consumed her. She regained a little confidence as the wizard who killed Judson was blasted to bits by Lucius Malfoy. Now, there were only Muggles. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hurry!" Snapped Lucius. "Get out of here! Narcissa!"

"He did have explosives," cried one of the Muggle policemen. Then another had leveled his gun at Lucius. Gloria saw the bullet enter his body just in front of his upper arm and blast a hole under his opposite armpit.

Lucius dropped to the ground, blood pouring from the exit wound. Narcissa made a strangled cry and turned her wand on the policeman who had fired the Muggle gun as she tried to get back to Lucius.

In the confusion, the policemen tried to herd the children from the room, but Gloria wouldn't move. She stared in horror at the fallen Lucius and she felt strong arms wrap around her and carry her from the room, the other children following, surrounded by the policemen. Behind her, there was another flash of green light.

Gloria found herself shivering wondering what these barbarians would do to her. It took her several minutes and several harsh shakes from Maura before she realized they were not caught. They were not even under suspicion. They were in some sort of warded safe room. The sound of gunfire and spells were muted by the heavy door, which was closed against the fire.

She pulled abruptly away from the policeman who was holding her. "Let me go," she snapped.

"Oh, what a dah-lin accent," said another man, and she turned looking directly into the clear blue eyes of Bill Clinton, the American President, the man they were supposed to kill. "Don't worry," he said gently. "You will be safe here."

"But I want to go home," said Gloria petulantly and one of the men in the dark suits interrupted "Are you all _British_ children?" he asked.

The group looked at each other tentatively. "Yes," said Vincent. "We're here for the tour. Where have they gone please?"

Maura, with her Bulgarian accent, wisely kept her mouth shut

"Oh dear," said one of the men in the dark suits. He leaned close to the president. "If these are _British_ children, we may have an international incident."

"Their teacher must be frantic," said another man.

"As soon as we have the all clear," Mr. Clinton said to the children, "We will find your teacher."

The children exchanged glances again, and surreptitiously, they each put their hands in their pockets around their wands. They couldn't let these Muggles realize there was no teacher to find.

An alarm of some kind was ringing and Maura gestured with her eyes to the nearest Secret Service man. Vincent gave a barely perceptible nod, and Alvin glanced at the other one.

The third Secret Service man was droning on about how adorable their robes were. _What was wrong with him? _Wondered Gloria, and she was certain she didn't look at all like any kind of Muggle, if a Supreme Court Justice if it was some kind of Muggle. "With those robes," continued the Secret Service man, "You must have been doing some kind of role playing with your class, right?"

"Yes-" Gloria said tentatively, seeing Maura's small nod, and nodding back.

"Now!" cried Alvin and there was a flurry of motion as each of the children hit a different security guard with a spell. Alvin, Gloria and Vincent had used **Stupefy**, but Maura had used a more powerful stunning spell, which caused the guard to seizure. The fifth guard was the victim of Koschi's venom.

Bill Clinton jumped to his feet seeming at last to realize that the four children who had sought refuge with him were dangerous. "**Petrificus Totalus!"** barked Gloria causing Mr. Clinton to snap to attention and fall to the ground like a board.

Alvin had used the leg locker curse on the secretary and when she started to scream, Maura muted her.

"What should we do now," wondered Vincent.

"He was supposed to die," said Maura gesturing to the President. "Any of you want to do it?"

"The guards will be right back," said Alvin "And when they realize that is no British tour, we're in trouble. If we're going to kill him, we'd better hurry."

"He wasn't our responsibility," said Gloria moodily "Judson was supposed to take him out."

"Right," agreed Vincent. "I'm more interested in getting out of here alive. The place is crawling with those policemen."

"And the America aurors could be here by now," said Alvin. "I never thought I'd wish for my box back."

"The aurors will probably ask these Muggles where we went if we leave them alive," said Maura. "A _confundus_ charm might buy us some time. If we kill them all, they will just hunt us down that much faster."

"So what should we do?" wondered Vincent.

"I have an idea," said Alvin, levitating the secretary on top of the president. "We won't kill him. Just discredit him. **Denudare!."** He grinned wickedly as the president's trousers were removed in one action. We'll do the _confundus_ too," said Alvin as he began arranging the Muggle's clothes or lack of clothes.

"Doesn't he have a wife?" asked Maura.

"Not when we're done with him," said Alvin with a leering grin.

"I wish we knew some sort of love spell," bemoaned Maura. "Once we take off the _Petrificus totalus,_ they'll just go right back to hunting for us or our tour. I'm not even sure about _obliviating_ him."

"Oh I can _obliviate_ him," said Vincent. "Valeriana has been working with me on memory spells."

"But first, we have to finish what we started here," said Alvin. "You can do a good _Imperio_, can't you Maura? One that will hold even after we leave?"

"Yes," said Maura.

"Good," said Alvin. "This is what to have the secretary do." He dropped his voice to a whisper explaining.

"What!" shouted Maura, her face turning bright red. "People? Muggles, I mean? Do that?" She exclaimed.

Alvin grinned at her. "Some wizards too."

"That's disgusting. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," said Alvin.

"I'll do the _confundus _nd then I'll _obliviate_ the earlier stuff," said Vincent.

"Are you sure you can do it, Vincent?" asked Maura.

"When I'm done with him," boasted Vincent, "He won't even know what 'is' is—"

Maura sniggered. "Really! You're sure. You can do this?"

"I'm not stupid you know," said Vincent. "Of course, he might be when I'm done with him."

"What about her? What should she remember?" asked Gloria.

"Oh, everything," suggested Maura. "Then she'll not only seem like a slut, but she'll look like a deranged slut and about old enough to be his daughter too," said Maura with a frown.

"Nah—" said Alvin. "His daughter's younger. She's close to our age." He gestured to Vincent and himself, as they levitated each other up to the heating vent.

"We have to crawl North for about sixty meters until we get to the outside wall," said Alvin. "There are no wards outside of the building."

As they were crawling, Vincent suddenly froze.

"What's the matter Vincent," sneered Alvin. "Did you get stuck?"

Maura and Gloria began giggling. "A couple too many chocolate frogs," said Gloria, but Vincent shushed them. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

"What?" asked Alvin. "I didn't hear anything." But all of them lay quite still listening and a familiar voice drifted up to the vent where the children were hidden.

"Alas, Julian. I would have thought you had a little more brains than to get yourself mixed up with Death Eaters. You had such potential as a child." The soft voice murmured, "Tsk, tsk," in sadness. "I never had anything against Slytherins. I would have—"

"Back up," whispered Vincent to his companions, "before he hears us." They all recognized the voice as belonging to Dumbledore.

"Ha!" snorted Julian Bode as the children started to move through the vent. "Dumbledore, you know, you always sided against me and Peter when your precious Potter was involved. Gryffindor over Slytherin every time."

"I'm sorry, Julian," said Dumbledore. "Take them away, Alistair. Do we have any other British wizards or are the rest American?"

"American," growled Moody, "Except for Judson, and he's dead. Do you want to take the pieces home?"

"Alas, yes, Such a waste," breathed Dumbledore.

"All ya'll think ye can come waltzing in here and beat us," yelled a female voice. The children could hear her struggling against the restraints of the American Wizards. "Ya'll can't. We ain't beaten. The Dark Lord lives, and he will destroy the Muggle vermin. Ye done nuthin, here, Brit!"

"On the contrary," said Dumbledore quietly. "We've just averted World War Three."

"Yes, you have," said an American voice. "Thank you for coming Albus. We owe you one."

"No debt is uncured," said Dumbledore, and then the voices faded as the children slunk back into the vent to an empty room.

"What should be do now?" asked Maura.

"Where's Sturgis and the Malfoys," wondered Alvin.

Vincent snorted. "They can take care of themselves. We have to get outside."

"Once we are outside, we can apparate, right?" asked Gloria.

"Yes," said Alvin, "But how do we get outside?"

"Well, this is an outside wall, isn't it?" asked Vincent.

"Yes," said Maura, "But I don't think—"

**"Reductor!"** cried Vincent attempting to blow a hole in the wall. Although a sizable chunk of stone fell from the wall, it remained intact. Fresh alarms blared in the building.

"Bloody hell! You are an idiot!" shouted. Alvin. "Maura, watch the door," called Alvin as he and Vincent both attempted to blast through the wall.

"**Imperio!** Pass this room," whispered Maura. "**Imperio!** Pass this room. Hurry up," she called over her shoulder. I'm getting tired."

No one needed to say if Dumbledore came, they were finished, but it was on all of their minds.

"Move," Gloria demanded of Alvin and Vincent, and they complied.

"What are you going to do?" asked Alvin, but she didn't answer. She took a deep breath and directed a steady stream of Elemental fire against the mortar, which after a few moments began to melt from the heat. The door was almost open when Maura collapsed.

"Bloody hell," muttered Vincent as he looked over his shoulder at Maura. He could see the guards passing the door looking for the disturbance. "They're going to come," he predicted as Alvin grabbed Gloria's hand and joined his magic to hers. Within moments the entire perimeter of a small doorways was dripping with molten mortar.

"Alvin?" said Gloria, as rather stunned; she shook off the effects of the shared magic.

"Now, try your _reductor_," called Alvin and Vincent blasted the loosened bricks from the wall.

"Maura!" said Vincent.

"Leave her," called Gloria as she regained her composure and sprinted out of the open hole. She immediately Apparated. Vincent looked back at Maura and then followed Gloria, but Alvin turned back scooping Maura into his arms and rushing for the opening. "Please let me be able to apparate both of us," he murmured to no one in particular, before remembering that he had a portkey. No one looked back for the snake hissing among the burning embers.

"(Mistress!)" hissed Koschei. "(Mistress!)"

** == **

**Answers to Reviewers**

trillium: Mixture of shameless and clueless, what a description, can I use it somewhere ?

Akiel: More Tom and Ginny coming, but I have to make your really, really want it first. And if you are in a fog, I wonder if you read THE SEERS TRUTH: a Broken Beginning

Ennui demorte: Yes, this was definitely a "Ron" chapter.

Susire: Glad you decided to review. Welcome. Is Ginny going back to Hogwarts? Ever? Is that a tricky way of asking if Harry rescues her? Not telling.

Christina: Love your long reviews. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with Harry kissing his girlfriend, it wrong to use her just for that. I have to tell you, this is so reminiscent of my relationship with my boyfriend it's pathetic, but neither of us was claiming undying love, so I think we both felt it was ok. If either of us had been in love, I realize it would have been very unfair.

About McGonagall's transfig class. The Slyths don't have that class with the gryffs, but I'm sure she said something like this before to them.

Kemenran: More coming

Silverfox1: Well, you've had your quota of late. You have to face the music now.

Cara the Mord Sith: Ugh, I really don't like Cho, especially as Harry's "girlfriend." Me either, can you tell? Sniggers. Enjoy the funny, there's not much "funny" in later chapters.

XMuted-Faithx: What do you mean I "finally" updated. I always update in a timely fashion. It's not my fault that it takes 100 readers to get 15 reviews. In fact, the last 5 chapters I have put up before you guys have managed to get to 10 reviews! It's not my fault the updates take so long. If you get me 15 reviews today, the next chapter will be up today. How's that sound? Anyway, love your long reviews. Glad you laughed. Don't get used to it though. Not much laughter ahead. Muhahahaha!

== 


	19. ch 19: The Chamber of Truth

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By  Lady Lestrange**

Chapter 19 

**The Chamber of Truth**

**Disclaimer**:  All Potterverse belongs to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  Thanks JK

**Thanks** to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui de morte.  Go read her fic next.

  == 

(A/N:  I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down twice.)

Up to this Point:  Alternate 5th year book.  Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both.  Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form.  She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form. 

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them.  The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house,  the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark,  is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle.  Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville.  Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian. 

Back at Howwarts, the trio try to ascertain how they will save the girls.  They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

At last, the heads of house and Harry Potter attempt to fix the Sorting Hat.

The Chamber of Truth 

**  == **

Hermione came back from a prefect meeting troubled.  "Harry," she said, "Professor Dumbledore wants to meet you in Professor Flitwick's office."

"Flitwick's?  Why?"

"I don't know, Harry," said Hermione.  "I'm just the messenger.  Maybe it's something to do with Advanced Charms."

"Or that little portkey you made," said Ron, uncomfortably but when Harry arrived, it was none of those things. 

Harry was surprised to find Headmaster Dumbledore, Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout and Snape.  The other occupant of the room was even a larger surprise.  It was the Ravenclaw ghost, the gray lady.  Although he had heard of her, and seen her in the Great Hall on occasion, he had never spoken to her.

"Ah, here is the student I was talking about," Dumbledore said to the ghost.  "Harry, I'd like you to meet Rowenna Ravenclaw."

"P-pleased to meet you," stuttered Harry surprised.  "You're one of the Founders?"

"I am she," she said simply, and then addressed Dumbledore.  "Well met. Thou dost see that this musts be accomplished in the chapel, Headmaster?"

"Yes," agreed Dumbledore, "but, alas, I do wish that children need not be involved at all."

Harry watched Rowenna as she turned and glided soundlessly  through the wall.

"I see we are all hanging on Rowenna's every word," sneered Snape as he unfolded himself from his chair and stood.  "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" 

"Severus,  I hardly think—"  began Flitwick, but Snape raised his wand and apparated.

In a moment, Professor Flitwick had followed him.

"Albus,  apparating within the wards is a hardly good example for the students," said McGonagall frowning at Harry.

"Student," said Harry. "I'm the only one here, professor."

McGonagall pursed her lips.

"We'll walk, Minerva," said Dumbledore.  "After all, Harry doesn't know where he's apparating to anyway, so someone has to take him there."  Dumbledore paused at the Ravenclaw bookcase and spoke the password. _"yAvadantya."_

"What's that?" asked Harry, thinking that the _Avada_ part of it seemed a little sinister.

"Ancient Sanskrit," said Dumbledore.  "It's one of the translations of the word 'life'."

"Oh.  Where are we going?" asked Harry, as they began to climb the stair case to Ravenclaw tower.  "To the Ravenclaw chapel," said Dumbledore.  "There are within Hogwarts, several rooms of power,  rooms which allow the magic of the Elementals to flow in great abundance through the caster of a spell.  To use such a room is a great gift and a great responsibility.  I'm sure Rowenna would agree with me.  Dumbledore paused to allow Professor Sprout who was dragging behind them to catch up. 

"You don't mind if I Apparate, do you?" she puffed.  "I'm not used to all these stairs."

"We could have taken the lift," said Dumbledore, "but I thought the walk would be a nice time for us to talk.

"Talk," panted Sprout.  "I don't have any air left for talking."

"Go on then," Dumbledore laughed. "Apparate.  Have everything set up for us when we arrive."

"Of course Headmaster."

"Set up?" asked  Harry.  "What are they getting set up?  What is going on?"

"Harry," said Dumbledore, "After months of long and arduous study, we believe we have at last determined what is wrong with the Sorting Hat."

"That's wonderful."

Yes, said Dumbledore. "Alas, it can only be corrected by the blood or magic of a Founder." 

"Well, that's impossible.  They're all dead." Said Harry.

"Not entirely impossible, said McGonagall

"Wait,"  Harry frowned.  "Do you mean an heir?"

"No, Harry," said Dumbledore.  "Godric's power is in his sword which you pulled from the Hat, indicating your similarity to Godric whether or not you are is heir.  You are also one of the few people who could speak aloud the original spells of Salazar Slytherin."

"You mean in parseltongue," said Harry.   "I won't.   I won't do that.  Shesha stirred in agitation on his wrist, as they arrived at the chapel.  She stuck her head out of his robe sleeve and tasted the air.  "Nice magic," she hissed before Harry pushed her head back under the sleeve of his robe.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, but said nothing bout Shesha.

"The Sorting Hat needs fixing," said Dumbledore as they entered the room with the other teachers and Rowenna Ravenclaw.  "We can't continue to use this big brother, big sister plan.  The Hat is so much simpler: so much more reliable.  We are not even sure if everyone is Sorted properly."

"Does it really matter?" asked Harry.

"Of course it matters," snapped the entire contingent of teachers at once.

"Everyone is more comfortable in their own house," said McGonagall.

"Or do they _become_ more comfortable because they are in that house," wondered Harry.

"It doesn't matter," said Sprout.  "It's the same thing."

"Anon, the Hat must needs be unequivocally repaired," insisted Rowenna Ravenclaw.  "Without it, chaos would ensue."

"No," said Harry.  "With it, chaos has ensued.  Salazar tricked you all.  I can't understand how you let him fool you like that.  Surely you knew something was not right when he said he wanted to do the spell in parsel—"

Rowenna held up a hand for silence and Harry's voice ground to a halt.. "Salazar performed all of his spells in parseltongue," said Rowenna.  'Twas the language of his heart.  The majority of wizards used Latin or Greek in the time.  Salazar employed parseltongue almost exclusively.  With only an occasional spell, usually for Helga, which said in Cymry,  but your knowledge of parseltongue isn't the primary reason why we are entreating your aid, Harry Potter. Albus has recently informed me, that thou hast retrieved Godric's sword from the Hat.  I was under the impression that it was more than a sword," concluded Rowenna.

"It's a wand," said Harry. "Formed from my magic."

"So you knew," said Dumbledore frowning.

"Not when I used the sword to kill the basilisk," said Harry.  "I learned the truth only this year."   _No thanks to you, _thought Harry_, and he nearly voiced the bitter thought, closing his lips tightly over the words before they escaped._

"(Free thought magic.  Relaxant,)" said Shesha.

"(It's a spell?)" Harry asked Shesha in a whisper. "(Who cast it?)"

"(It's the room,)" she replied.  "(Nice magic.)"

_No it isn't nice,_ thought Harry, horrified. _It most certainly was not nice. Something in the room lowering his inhibitions and causing him to speak so spontaneously to a group of teachers was certainly not nice!_

"(It is if you want to relax,)" said Shesha.

"(Well, I don't!  Is there a counterspell?)"

"(No,)" replied Shesha.  "(It's inside of the room.  You could leave the room—)"

Harry sighed.  "(Nevermind, Shesha.)"  He cautiously turned his attention back to Dumbldedore.

"Alas," continued Dumbledore, "It's Godric's wand that must be used to do the spell.  Otherwise, we'll have to start over completely.

"I'm not sure that wouldn't be the best idea," said Harry.  "To start over completely.  I don't trust the Sorting Hat.  Were you aware that the Sorting Hat possessed Tom Riddle with the spirit of Salazar Slytherin?"

"The Sorting Hat?" said Dumbledore incredulous.  "Preposterous."

"No.  That's the truth," said Harry.

"The truth," sneered Snape.  "That Sorting Hat has been on countless generations of children's heads—Potter, you are so steeped in your little fairy tale you wouldn't know the truth if it--"

"I don't know why I thought any of you would believe me," snorted Harry.

'After all," continued Harry.  "I'm only the child that you pull out when you need someone to beat down Voldemort for you! Tell you what," said Harry heading for the door.  "Call me when He's knocking on the door of the castle, or on second thought.  Don't call me.  Do it yourself."

"Potter, you're out of line," said Snape, and then he clapped his lips firmly closed in a thin unyielding line.

"It's the influence of the room, Severus," said Rowenna.  "He is merely imparting the ruminations of his apprehensiveness.  This should have been resolved long ago."

"Severus, leave it be," said Dumbledore.  "The prophecy—"

_Fuck the Prophecy_, thought Harry, but he managed to stifle that thought, now that he realized how much the room was lowering his inhibitions.  Aloud he simply said, "I don't care."

"Harry, you don't mean that," said McGonagall.  "Beatrice returning to us is proof enough that you care."

"Harry, only you—" interrupted Dumbledore.

"Only me! That's a bloody lie!" shouted Harry.  "This should have never been about _me!_ Why should it fall to me to fix your mistakes?  You should have fixed this when it first started.  When Tom Riddle was eleven.  Maybe even before that," he said glaring at Rowenna.  "Maybe you should have been more vigilant when the Sorting Hat was made."

"It wast wrought by Godric, not I," said Rowenna regally.  "His the idea, and his the initial magic."

"But you were supposed to look out for one another—help one another.  That's what friends do."

"What gavist thou the impression that we were friends, Harry Potter?  We were colleagues: nothing more." Said Rowenna.

"Tell me Helga and Salazar were colleagues.  Ha!" spat Harry. 

"How do you know this?" asked Rowenna with a frown.  "Mention of their relationship was removed from Hogwarts: A History."

Rowenna raised an eyebrow.  "Hast thou befriended a Hufflepuff, young Gryffindor, or hast thou searched the Master Chronicles?" asked Rowena. "Mention of their relationship was deemed inappropriate in a mere child's tome."

"Parvati lived through the hours before Helga's suicide and I was with her," said Harry, thinking Hermione would be outraged to hear her precious _Hogwarts: a History_, called a child's tome.    "And _Hogwarts: A History_ isn't the only book in the library." he continued.  "Helga needed you—all of you.  She was trying to decide who to betray: her lover or her friends. How could you have allowed her to get to that point?"

Professor Sprout had started to weep. "She killed herself?" said Sprout softly, and Minerva patted her distractedly on her back.

"I told you, we weren't friends," stated Rowena, but her voice held less authority as if she was considering that fact.

"You should have been," said Harry. "You had a common goal to work toward."

"And we've achieved that goal," said Rowenna.  "Look at the prosperity of this school."

"Look at what this school did to Tom Riddle," said Harry softly.  "And look what Tom Riddle has done to the wizarding world."

"That was Salazar's doing," said Rowenna hotly.  "I will not take responsibility—"

"It's always easiest to blame the Slytherin, isn't it," added Severus Snape coldly.

"It was Salazar's spell," retorted Rowenna hotly.

"And the greatest witches and wizards of the age couldn't see what he had done," said Harry.  "You didn't see it a thousand years ago, and you," said Harry turning to Dumbledore, "You didn't see if fifty years ago when Tom Riddle put the Sorting Hat on his head.   All you have to do is study Voldemort, and you can see that he's Salazar. He's--"

"I know," said Dumbledore.

"You know?" said Harry totally deflated by Dumbledore's admission.

"Yes," said Dumbledore.  "I don't think it was the Sorting Hat.  More likely, it was a book, just like with Virginia Weasley."

"What?  Diary?"

"A book, particularly Salazar's, not the Sorting Hat which was spelled by three other Founders. Salazar couldn't have used the Sorting Hat.  There were safeguards."

Harry stared, open-mouthed.

"Oh, I didn't know when Tom was eleven, but by the time he was 15 there were definite signs that he wasn't--a child.  Just like Virginia Weasley," said  Dumbledore calmly.

Harry felt as if he couldn't breathe.  "You knew?

"I wasn't certain, but yes, there were signs—prophecies."

"And you sat by and did nothing?" growled Harry.

"What would you have me do?" said Dumbledore with an edge in his voice that Harry had not heard before..

Harry stared.

"Prithee peace, Albus," said Rowenna.  "We will proceed no further in this business. This is ineffective. The boy has entirely too much animosity, to wield Godric's wand or his sword.  It is a defensive weapon, not an offensive one, and his anger will interfere with his connection to the Elementals.

"Elementals?' said Harry intrigued.  "I thought you didn't need a wand for the Elementals."

"That depends upon what spell thou art planning to do," said Rowenna.  "One of this magnitude will require a wand, because it requires a Founder's magic.  Anon, we shalt allow perchance thy usage of Elemental Magic?  Thine notorious ancestor wrought enough chaos from that act.  Thou shalt not follow in Meridius' footsteps.  Nay.  Nay.  Harry Potter." Rowenna said lightly.  "Thou shalt use a wand."

"Meridius?" said Harry.  "I've heard of him.  Wasn't he supposed to have been from the lost fifth house?"

"Yes, Harry," said McGonagall.  "He is in Professor Binns' syllabus, although I know Professor Binns hates teaching about the Rift.  It was such a sad time in history.  Binns' prefers those barbaric Goblin Rebellions."

"So thou wilt wield Godric's wand," said Rowenna, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand.

He wondered what they would do if he just refused.  Would they find someone else or would they just leave the Sorting Hat alone?  Actually, he wondered about one of the students sorting.  Edward's.  "I didn't say I would do the spell," said Harry petulantly. 

"Harry," said Dumbledore in that patronizing manner of his.  "I know you are upset."

"Did you figure that out with your legilimency?" snapped Harry.

Snape snorted and turned away.

"Harry," said Dumbledore again.  "I wish I could have saved Tom Riddle, but it was beyond my power to do so."

"Did you even try?" asked Harry.

"Alas and Alack!" said Rowenna. "Albus, let this room, do the task it was designed to do," she said harshly.  "You child, shall stop living in the past and embrace the present. Your aura is like a book where I may read strange matters."

But what if Voldemort—" began Harry, and then he paused.  _She said, auras.  Auras?_

"That," said Rowenna "is in the future, and doesn't yet concern you. Live with integrity and justice in the present and the future will take care of itself.  Albus, thou art making him increasingly more agitated. Thou shalt cease the pretense and mendacities, and thou shalt cease putting thine legilimency at odds with this room. If I see orange in thy aura again, I shalt be compelled to require thine presence be absented from these proceedings."

"Auras? You see auras?" said Harry, trying to remember what Samara had said about the color orange. 

"Yes, dear," said Rowenna.  Anon Albus, reveal to this child exactly what thou hast perceived to be the truth about Salazar thirteen years ago.  This child needs to understand to do the spell properly.  He cannot rid himself of doubt and fear without substantial understanding." 

Dumbledore rubbed his hand over his long beard.  "Are you sure that is wise?" he asked.

 "The truth is always wise," said Rowenna.  "Wisdom is not measured by comfort.  Thy heart is in the right place Albus.  You seek to save him from pain, and the truth is infinitely more painful than the lies thou hast given him, but he needs the power of truth nonetheless."

Dumbledore nodded and seemed to relax.   "It was preordained that Salazar would rise again, just like it was preordained that you would be the one to defeat him thirteen years ago, Harry.  "A babe will lay him low,"  Dumbledore quoted.  "Firenze would tell you, Harry.  These things are written in the stars.  Alas, we have no control over them.  We only have control over our everyday actions.  We have control over how we react to the circumstances given to us.  Some things we just have to accept."

"So you just let him be possessed," said Harry softly.    _No wonder he hates you._

Unintentionally, Harry's mind began processing the similarities between himself and Tom Riddle—and Dumbledore.

"Mr. Potter!" said McGonagall.   "Headmaster Dumbledore did not just let Tom Riddle be possessed.  You did not know this child.  He embraced Salazar—"

"Minerva," said Snape softly.

"I was there, Severus; you weren't," she snapped.  "He was evil.  Always lording his power over the younger students even in his prefect days.  He put on a good act for the teachers, but possession is almost never instantaneous, and it is always consensual. Always. Quite simply he could have said _no._ He could have fought the possession more completely than any one outside of himself.  He wanted the power."

"Professor McGonagall is right, Harry," said Flitwick.  "One cannot be possessed without consenting to the joining.  It's an enchantment: an enchantment that both Tom Riddle and Ginny Weasley had to consent to."

Harry jumped to his feet.  "Ginny did not consent to that.  She didn't mean to write in the diary.  She didn't mean to—"

"There are no accidents," stated Rowenna.  "What thou receivest from life, thou dost draw to oneself by will and by actions."

 "No," said Harry, anger completely consuming him.  "Ginny didn't—"

And Rowenna Ravenclaw flew through him.  Harry sucked in his breath as if he had been smacked with the cold.

"Oh," said Rowenna.  "I had forgotten what a loathsome feeling that is, touching a corporeal being, especially an angry corporeal being."  She looked down her long nose at Harry.  "Just sit there child until thine aura is back to its natural green. We canst not act until thou art calm and these boisterous conversations seem to be exacerbating the problem."

"Fillius, thou mayst speak to him, prithee calmly."

"Yes, Lady Ravenclaw," said Fillius Flitwick, and turning to Harry, he said, "Do you  remember what we said about enchantments in advanced charms?"

Harry nodded, reciting what he had learned.  "They can be painted, or danced or sung, but most importantly the intent must be repeated a specific number of times without alteration of that intent."

"But someone could have broken the possession couldn't they?" asked Harry.  He turned to Dumbledore.  "I mean you're supposed to be the most powerful wizard of the age, Sir.  Couldn't you have broken the possession?"

"Thou mayst not speak to Albus," said Lady Ravenclaw. "Especially not about the past.  It is counterproductive."

Harry's mouth fell open and he stared at the Headmaster.  He was taking orders from Rowenna.  He smiled inanely at Harry, and winked one of his twinkling blue eyes.  Harry felt his anger escalate.

"Dost not look at him," suggested Lady Ravenclaw.

"There is one thing and one thing only that can break a possession," continued Flitwick

"Love," said Harry.

Flitwick shook his head.  "Another soul."

"What?"

"I don't think we should be talking to you about this," Dumbledore said hesitantly and Harry snorted.  "Well, for Merlin's sake don't tell Harry anything.  The bloody world will end if you do."

Albus took a step toward Harry.  His face was nearly as white as his flowing beard.

"Albus," warned Lady Ravenclaw.  "Let the room do its job."

Dumbledore said nothing, but only closed his eyes in resignation, and Harry realized  if he wanted to know what Dumbledore was keeping from him, now was the time to pry it out of somebody.

"But my mother's love saved me," said Harry thoughtfully.  "I thought you said Love was the most powerful magic—"  He glanced at Dumbledore, who was still sitting quietly with his eyes closed as if meditating.  Some of the color had come back to his face.

"It is," replied Flitwick, "but not just any love, agape love: unselfish and complete.  I doubt that Professor Dumbledore loves either Tom Riddle or Ginny Weasley enough to save them."

"But I don't understand.  My mother saved me."

Snape snorted and turned abruptly, standing on the threshold as if he couldn't wait to escape.

Still, said Harry.  "She saved me but over the centuries how many other mothers have wished they could die to save their child.  I've never understood."

"Countless numbers," agreed Flitwick

"So why?  Why me?"  Harry's eyes traveled to Snape who was standing, arms folded protectively across his chest.  "Why?  Professor Snape?  Do you know something about this that the others don't know?"

Snape hissed through his teeth, and Harry realized he was trying to stay out of this conversation so that he would not be influenced by the room.    Harry's asking a direct question of him, forced him to answer.

"Because she wasn't trying to save your life, Potter.  She was trying to keep Voldemort from Marking you.  She knew that he could Mark you as a child when you would be easily swayed to accept him.  Voldemort hadn't heard the actual words of the prophecy and he didn't understand how it would unfold.  He didn't know you would be so formidable as a baby. He never wanted to kill you Harry.  He wanted you to consent to join him."

"But he _did_ try to kill me."

"Only after he couldn't Mark you," said Snape.  "If he couldn't have the Prophecy Child, no one could."

"Me?" said Harry, "The Prophecy Child?"

"Of course," said Snape.  "One of  the three brave children—"  He looked as if he might choke on the words.

"And he thought killing my parents would help his cause?" asked Harry.  "One thing I've never taken Voldemort for, is a fool."

"No," said Snape.  "He is no fool, but neither was Lily.  Once we realized that he had perfected the Mark, we knew that he would try to find you and your mother."

"Why me and my mother?" said Harry. 

"We already knew you were powerful enough to attract his attention, and then there was the additional line of the prophecy, 'But he will arise through his flower'—" quoted Dumbledore.

"My mother wouldn't help him," said Harry appalled. 

"No, she didn't," said Dumbledore, "At the time, we thought perhaps it was just some herb.  Or perhaps it was Tom Riddle's mother.  Her name was Melantha, which meant dark flower, but she was already dead, and her magic gone, disbursed to the Elementals."

Snape shifted uncomfortably, as if he wanted to speak, but he did not. 

"How could she help him to arise?" Dumbledore continued.  "A watch was put on all the women who could possibly help him arise, and there were a number with flower names, Narcissa, Valeriana, Laurel were of course the prime suspects, but there was also Poppy and Lily.  What made us most worried about Lily was that the magic had to be given from the heart, from love, and Hufflepuff's tend to be more generous with their love than any of the other houses.  Also, We mistakenly thought that the two lines, 'A babe will lay him low and he will arise through his flower,' were interrelated. We discounted Poppy and Valeriana because they did not have children yet."

"Valeriana," whispered Harry, thinking of the dream he had had about Voldemort and Valeriana.  She certainly seemed to think she was in love with him. "So it was Valeriana?"

"No," said Snape immediately, then he continued more carefully..  "She went to Azkaban too soon after his downfall and was still in prison when he arose, but it's immaterial now," said Snape, "Since he has already arisen."

"Thou speakest of Salazar as if he were mortal and bound by the constrictors of time." Said Rowenna.  "Thou must remember that he was working on immortality as early as the 900's, before we even started the school.  It colored everything he did—the work with Magical creatures, his relationship with Helga.  It even interfered with his teaching and his relationships with the students."

"Darla," said Professor Sprout.

"It was never proven," said Rowenna carefully, "that he had anything to do with her vampirism."

"I have Darla's word," protested Sprout.  "That's good enough for me."

"Darla?" said Harry.  "Who owns the bookstore in—er--"  Too late, Harry realized that he  should not have had occasion to meet Darla if he had been following the rules.

"Knockturn," said Snape coolly.  "You should not be in Knockturn Potter, for _any_ reason. and since I am now your guardian, I give you fair warning, Potter.  If you attempt to go to Knockturn again, believe me, you will live to regret it."

"Severus," said Rowenna.  "His aura is just beginning to return to green.  Let's not upset him, or he will never be able to wield the wand."

"I wasn't calm in the Chamber when I killed the basilisk," said Harry.  He felt Shesha stir on his wrist.  "(Master killed a basilisk?)" She asked concerned..

"(Don't worry,)" Harry hissed back.  "(I would never hurt you.)"

"(You said the words of death to me,)" Shesha said, reminding him of their first meeting.

"(I didn't know you,)" Harry protested.

"(Is it the nature of humans to kill what they do not know?)"  Shesha persisted.

"(Later,)" Hissed Harry.   "(We will talk about this later.)"

Rowenna Ravenclaws eyes were on him and although he had spoken the parseltongue as quietly as he could, he was afraid that she had heard him and would throw him out or try to hurt Shesha. He shoved her protectively under his robe sleeve, ordering her to be quiet.

Harry threw a glance at Dumbledore who was still sitting quietly, eyes closed, meditating. Rowenna said nothing, but then he remembered Samara telling him that animals had auras too.  Apparently Rowenna Ravenclaw saw Shesha, when he first entered the room, but decided not to make a fuss.  He looked into her silvery eyes as she spoke.

"No, thou wast not calm in the Chamber of Secrets," said Rowenna, but there thou wast defending a fellow student.  Thy Gryffindor core was in full power.  Here, thou art uncertain that using the Sorting Hat is in the best interests of all concerned.  Thy intent is weak.  Thou must seekest thy courage.  'Twill not come to thine hands unfettered.  Moreover, 'tis a creation spell. Killing, even killing a basilisk, requires only a destruction spell.  Destruction is much easier to wield than creation."

"I didn't use the wand."

I beg to differ, young man.  Thou wouldst not have killed the basilisk without accessing the magic.  That was no ordinary sword thou wielded.  Art thou ready to take up that sword in creation instead of killing?"

"I'll do my best," said Harry.

"And thy best will be enough," said Rowenna.  Thy spell willst require thy whole Spirit.  Do thou, thy best and then thou shalt have no regrets."

"I always seem to have regrets," said Harry.

"Always doing thy best brings peace to thy soul.   Dost thou always do thy best?"

"No," said Harry. "Who does?"

"Only those striving towards perfection," answered Rowenna.  "When thou findst that commitment inside of thyself.  Thou wilt cease having regrets about things that cannot be changed.  When thou asks if thou couldst have done some task better, and know thine answer is lacking,  how couldst thou not have regrets?"

"I guess so," said Harry reluctantly.

"Thou still hast unanswered questions," stated Rowenna. "Speakest anon?"

"It isn't important," said Harry.  "Let's just go on with the spell."

"Bah!" said Rowenna, slapping her hand through the table and causing the lights to flare brightly.  "Didst thou hear me not, young Gryffindor?  Questions are always important," said Rowenna.  "They are the springboards to learning.  Thy question.  Thou will speak it."

"Well, about my mother and father," said Harry.  "Were they trying to—to kill Salazar when they died?"

"The thought is abhorrent to thee," said Rowenna. 

"Yes.  I--I can't imagine killing anyone—"  Harry shivered.

"Ah—a core value is discovered," said Rowenna.  "Stay true to that value, young man."

"But Lady Ravenclaw," interrupted Dumbledore eyes flashing fire, "The prophecy says either Harry or the Dark Lord will die—"

"Either the prophecy is pre-ordained and there is nothing thou canst do to alter or change it, Albus, or the prophecy is false, and it doesn't matter.  Either way, Mortal tinkering will not alter it."

"Alas," began Albus, but Lady Ravenclaw held up her hand for silence.

 "Prithee peace, Albus.  Thou hast another question?" Lady Ravenclaw asked Harry.

"Yes," said Harry.  "Were they trying to bind Salazar in some sort of magic?  Because if they were, then it's my fault that they failed."

"No," said Lady Ravenclaw.  "Thou is not responsible simply because thou was present at an unfortunate situation.  Thy choice is what binds the magic to participate or not.  Don't you teach Intentional Magic anymore?" she asked the teachers frowning.

"It's beyond most of the students," said Snape.

"So thou wouldst neglect the ones that can wield it?" snapped Rowenna.  "Is that any way to run a school?  Neglecting thy best students?"

"Some of the Advanced classes are Intentional Magics," said Flitwick and Professor Sinistra still says that Apparition is ninety-nine percent Intention."

"_All_ magic is ninety-nine percent intention," said Lady Ravenclaw, eyes narrowing.  "Oh well, I see have been remiss.  I have work to do when we have finished here."

"One more question, please?" asked Harry.

"Come, let thine lips speak it," said Lady Ravenclaw. 

"Can I still help Ginny if she is possessed in some way by the Dark Lord?"

"If thou hast the proper intent," said Lady Ravenclaw.  "Thou canst.."

"I intend to save her," said Harry.

"If thy intention dost not fail, thou canst accomplish anything," said Lady Ravenclaw.  "Remember anon, there is always a cost for magic."  Lady Ravenclaw glanced across the room to Severus Snape who had still not moved from the doorway.  "Pritthee speak.  Thou dost wish to add to this conversation?" she asked.

"No," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. 

"The boy should know—" he began, "but I am not the one to tell him."

"If thou hast something to teach, thou shouldst teach it.  What sort of teacher withholds knowledge like an ivory tower savant? Art thou not truly a teacher, Severus? Or art thou afeared to be the same in thine own act as thou art in desire?"

Snape growled at her before he began in a clipped sharp voice.  "Saving from death, differs from possession," said Snape.  "Possession requires in both its binding and its releasing, consent, monumental amounts of Elemental magic, and some physical token, usually blood. Very few wizards or witches can even accomplish it.  Possession moves into the realm of the supernatural—demons and such, not wizards.   Generally, the part the wizard plays is to invite the demon to Earth and to offer the use of his or her body for a specific period of time, in exchange for some favor.  The problem is, during this time, the wizard's body is subjected to enormous amounts of Elemental magic and when the prescribed time of the possession is over, the wizard is addicted to the power of the Elementals, usually it is more power than he can contain without the demon's actual presence within the body so the demon is then invited to stay permanently.  The wizard becomes something other than human, and can only be released by death. We have no idea where in this process, the man who is Salazar Slytherin is—or if Salazar had indeed sacrificed his humanity by that time."

"What does this have to do with Ginny?" asked Harry.

"What indeed," said Snape.  "To know that, we would need to know exactly who or what was in that diary."

"Are you telling me that, you think, the only way to release Ginny from the possession may be to kill her?" gasped Harry,  Looking at Snape's ashen face and dark eyes he knew that was exactly what Snape was telling him. "Possession suggests something more than a wizard's magic, Potter.  There is no way to be sure."

"The cost of the magic may indeed be a life," added Rowenna Ravenclaw, "But some demons cannot die. Which is why they must be bound at the exact moment of the death of the host body.  Anon, the casting wizard mayst die and the demon livest still."

"That's what my parents were trying to do," said Harry suddenly, and his thoughts traveled forward inferring the next logical step.  Together they could kill Tom Riddle and bind Salazar Slytherin, but not with a baby in arms. It all suddenly fell into place. He was not the savior of the Wizarding world as everyone supposed.  He was the reason Voldemort was still alive. He suddenly couldn't breathe. All of the people who died—every one of them—all of the people—all because he was there with his parents instead of—with Snape.  He felt as if his heart had turned to molten lead inside of him.  Why?  What had happened?

"Why didn't it work?"   Harry asked.  "Because I was there—" He answered his own question. 

"He dost need you Sprout," said Lady Ravenclaw.  "The boy is falling into that self-pity mode that thine Gryffindors have such difficulty over coming.  Whereto thou dost make him understand that 'twas not his fault. 'Twas meant to be:  his destiny as written."

Professor Sprout immediately stepped forward and pulled Harry into a motherly hug.  "It wasn't your fault, Harry, Dear," she said.

Dumbledore shook his head.  "No, it wasn't, Harry.  It was because Peter Pettigrew betrayed your parents and Voldemort came too soon.  They weren't ready yet, and more than that, it was as the prophecy predicted."

"And I was there," said Harry sadly.  "And Salazar? He's not human, is he?  Is he a demon?"

Dumbledore looked at Rowenna, but she shook her head.  "Salazar is—Salazar," she said.  "Not quite human now, but still we believe, less than a demon."

Harry shuddered, saying nothing.

Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's shoulder.  "You can't blame yourself for this, Harry.  You were a baby.  It wasn't your fault. You have done so many great things for the wizarding world.  We have no right to ask for any more, and yet--"

"He hath found it," interrupted Rowenna smiling.  "The combination of healing and resolve that always gave Godric the most control over his spells.  Give the boy the wand.  Dost thou understand what thou must do, Child?"

"I think so," said Harry.

"No, no, no.  Thou must be certain.   Thou must already see it so."

Harry nodded.  "Like Apparition," he said.  "What about the gifts?  How will this affect the gifts that the Founders put in the Hat?  Will they still be there?"

"Yes," said Rowenna.  "We know that thou hast appropriated Godric's sword at the required time and thou canst assume that Salazar's gift of the emerald is also gone."

"No," said Harry.  "He put two emeralds.  I remember his spell."

Rowenna shook her head. "One sword, one book, one potion, one emerald. Salazar sought to give to his heir two emeralds, but his purpose was found and failed."

"What happened to the other emerald then?" asked Harry.  The Stone Basilisk in the Chamber is missing both of its eyes.  He wanted to put two emeralds for two eyes."

"He only put one," said Rowenna again. "Helga had the other one and then--anon—she--died."

"Committed suicide," said Harry, "So Salazar would never know the identity of the Prophecy Child.  Helga died to save her and we let Voldemort take her."  Harry stood for a moment thinking of Parvati living the last moments of Helga's life.  He remembered that Helga said she talked to the stone snakes.

"Thy aura is perfect," whispered Rowenna.  "I see thee in form so perfect, thou canst not fail."

"Was Helga a parselmouth?" he asked.

"No," said Rowenna, "But she had an affinity with animals of all sorts."

_So she did know,_ thought Harry.  _She knew the serpents wanted their eyes_. 'So blind Slytherin, I've taken emerald from the stone,' she said.  _How was he blind?   Salazar put one emerald in the Hat and Helga hid the other one somewhere. Blind because Slytherin and Hufflepuff were separated? Or was the blindness symbolic in some way?  More likely, _Harry thought, _it was just because Slytherin could never understand what Helga's love meant and it was, after all,  Helga who called him blind._

"Which emerald was in the Hat?" Harry asked suddenly.  "The right or the left?"

"I know not," said Rowenna, "But it doesn't affect this spell. The emerald was already removed by Tom Riddle."

"And what do the emeralds do?" asked Harry.

"I know not," said Rowenna.  "As thou hast said, the emeralds work in the Chamber of Secrets, and I myself, have never entered there, but I might surmise that the emeralds were the physical manifestation of what Helga perceived as truth and Helga had an uncanny ability to perceive the truth."

Harry took a deep breath.  "I'm ready," he said.

"Indeed you are," agreed Rowenna.  "Thy aura is filled with power.  Prithee, What is thy intention, Child?"

"I intend to correct the mistakes made in the Sorting Hat's creation," said Harry, a touch of steel in his voice.

Rowenna raised an eyebrow.  "Excellent," she said.  "Thou dost choose a lofty intention."  She nodded at Dumbledore who handed Harry the sword, which was a wand, and Flitwick who laid the Sorting Hat at Harry's feet.  "Now, draw the magic unto thyself and be thankful for the Elementals that surrounds thee and the Magic within thee. Touch the flat of the sword against the Hat and be thankful that the Sorting Hat is already fixed in this moment, in this reality, Child, wish it real."

Harry staggered with the impact of the spell and his hand went automatically to his scar as the searing pain suddenly burned there.   He struggled to hold the spell together and the Hat began smoking with the power of re-setting the original spells. "The choice of the student should _always_ over-ride any previous spell," said Harry.

"Of course," said Dumbledore.  "That has always been so."

"Not if the student was a Founder's heir," said Harry, vehemently and Dumbledore frowned as he picked up the still warm Hat. 

"It seems to be fine," said Dumbledore, but "I think we should do some tests on it to be sure."

"Yes, Albus," agreed Rowenna.  "'Thou wilt find that revealing the truth is infinitely more powerful than concealing it.  Unfortunately, 'twill also be more painful, my friend.  I bid thee farewell, Headmaster." 

"Good bye, Lady Ravenclaw," said Harry, and Rowenna paused.  "Oh anon, I shalt see thou again, Harry Potter, but not until thou takest up Meridius' task," she predicted as she floated through the wall.

"Should we set up a team to be sure the Hat is corrected, or should we do it separately." Asked McGonagall.

"Separately, I think," said Dumbledore.  "Some of us work better alone."  His eyes were on Severus.

"Well, if that's all," said Harry.  "I'd like to get back to my room.  I have homework."

"No," said Dumbledore. "Alas, that is not quite all."

"What else can you expect?" muttered Harry wearily.

"I don't think this is a task you will dislike, Mr. Potter," said Snape.  "Come I will tell you as we walk."

Harry hesitated.  Walking with Snape didn't sound like something he wanted to do.

"It's alright, Harry," said Dumbledore softly.  "There was a snake left behind in the rubble at a recent Death Eater altercation.  We were hoping you might be able to discern what their next plan is—"

"I see," said Harry coolly.  "Well, let's go get this snake."

"It's in the dungeon," said Snape.  "Come."  He turned in swirl of robes and glided out of the room without looking at Harry.

Harry heard McGonagall speaking as he hurried to catch up to Snape. 

McGonagall's voice was tight with emotion.  "Headmaster, I really don't think Harry—

The sound was lost as Harry hurried down the steps.  He caught up with Snape because Snape had stopped at one of the landings.  "What?" began Harry, but Snape put out a hand to stop him.

"Moving," he said succinctly, and immediately the staircase pulled away from the wall and dropped down several flights making them closer to the dungeon.

"How did you know that?" asked Harry.  "I would have had to walk down at least three more flights."

"Potter, if you ever actually attune yourself to the magic of Hogwarts and the magic of your fellow students you might be a passable wizard.  That was your father's problem too.  Excessive arrogance."

Harry clenched his fists.

"Temper, Temper," intoned Snape glaring at him.

"You didn't like my father much, did you?" asked Harry.

"You have a gift for understatement," said Snape "You are not the be all and end all of the universe. Contrary to what the wizarding papers have written, you did not defeat Voldemort.  At least not the first time."  Snape smiled grimly.  "However, it looks as if you might have yet another chance.  Try not to screw it up this time."

"I didn't ask for this job!"

"One rarely does," said Snape.

"Does what?" said Harry.

"Ask for a job that in all probably get you killed.  Here's the snake."  Snape pulled a wooden crate out from under his desk.  While he was opening the crate, the large black dog that Snape had acquired sauntered over and licked Harry's hand.

"Sit," Snape ordered, and Harry was half way to a chair, before he realized that Snape was speaking to the dog and not him.  Snape brushed a hand through his greasy black hair in annoyance and Harry realized that his glamour had worn off. Snape looked suddenly old and tired.

To distract himself from that ominous thought, Harry asked, "Does this poor dog ever get out to run?"  Harry patted the dog's head, feeling suddenly lonesome for Sirius.

"Yes," said Snape.  "I take him with me herb hunting in the Forbidden Forest nearly every evening.  He enjoys rousting the hedgehogs,"  said Snape with a frown, he continued coldly.  "I do not abuse my dog, Potter."

(A/N:  I put hedgehogs in here as a place filler until I thought of a suitable creature, but I never thought of one, and so I decided to leave it "hedgehogs" as a tribute to Silverfox story, My Name is Severus.  It's a good read, and to Silverfox, Snape's dog does not abuse the hedgehogs either.)

"I didn't say you did," said Harry.  "and you shouldn't be reading my mind."

"I shouldn't be able to," replied Snape coldly.  "Her name is Koschei," said Snape as he put the snake into Harry's arms and shoved him out of the door.  " See what you can learn from her."

"But," said Harry.  "What happened to her Master?"

"Mistress," corrected Snape.  "Koschei belonged to a twelve year old female Death Eater named Maura.  She didn't ask for that job either, Potter.  She acquired it when Durmstrang burned." 

The door slammed in his face.

  ==  

**Answers to Reviewers:**

Voldy's pink teddie:  Thanks for the kudos.  And it's a blue bunny, not a teddy.

Akiel:  Thanks for the review.  And I'm not telling who the green eyed squib was.  15 reviews gets the next chapter, so if you want them sooner, you have to recruit some friends to read the story.

Christina:  Yes, I was concerned about the way this chapter would be perceived.  Of course, I'm not Volde.  I have my moments, and I enjoy writing him, but I am not Voldemort.  I'm not…I'm not…heheheh

Ammarine:  Yes, well it was meant to be ironic.  Lucius talking about greedy people. And I can't believe no one realized who the green eyed squib was.

Trillium: Glad this chappie was a fav.  More good ones on the way.  You will have a new favorite soon.

Ennui:  None of the countries attacked anyone yet, US included, so no they weren't waiting for the US or UK or anyone particularly.  Volde was just sowing chaos.  And the portkeys were a back up plan in case they forgot how to apparate.  I was just reminding the reader that they had them, in case they need them later.   Yes, the Rosiers were killed by aurors in the time when they were allowed to use the killing curse.  Remember in JK's book—I think it was GoF when Dumbledore said that the Aurors were almost as bad as the DE.

Jager:  Yes, well my Volde is more evil than most Voldemorts…muwhawhawha!

Silverfox:  So glad you are still with me.  It's been ages since you've done a new fic.  I think it's about time, don't you?  And well, no one was conscious who cared about Koschei, but don't worry.  We will see Koschei again.

Harpy:  Yes, it did jump around a bit.  It was all the different countries that Volde is trying to manipulate.  Sorry you were confused. If you tell me where exactly where I lost you, maybe I can fix it.  Volde grumbles. Stupid muggles.

Kemenran:  Typical

Cara the Mord Sith:  No this chapter was not shorter.  Most are between 5-8 thousand words. This one was over 6 thousand, so just in the middle.  I guess you are reading faster.

== 

**To all of those who haven't yet reviewed** this chapter, now is the time.  Review.  Click the little button on the left corner and tell me what you think.  Remember **15 reviews equals a new chapter. **

Sure beats paying for it, doesn't it?

Lady Lestrange

Good stuff coming.  You don't want to miss it.

  == 


	20. CH 20 Common Ground

**The Seers' Truth:  Beyond the Darkness**

**By  Lady Lestrange**

Chapter 20 

**Common Ground**

**Disclaimer**:  All Potterverse belongs to JK Rowlings.  No infringement is meant or implied.  Thanks JK

**Thanks** to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui de morte.  Go read her fic next.

  == 

(A/N:  I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down twice.)

Up to this Point:  Althernate 5th year book.  Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both.  Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form.  She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form. 

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them.  The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house,  the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark,  is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle.  Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville.  Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guaradian. 

Back at Howwarts, the trio try to ascertain how they will save the girls.  They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

== 

**COMMON GROUND**

Harry took the snake to his room, but before he got even half way from the dungeon, Shesha poked her head out of his sleeve and tasted the air with her tongue.

"{Visha!}" hissed Koschei.

The name made Harry freeze in his tracks. However, a second later, he recovered and hurried to his room, in a long stride that strangely resembled Snape's purposeful walk and caused loitering students to move out of his way. Harry couldn't talk in parseltongue in the corridor even though all the school knew he was a parselmouth. He didn't want to restart the _Harry is the heir of Slytherin_ fiasco from second year. Second year made him think of Ginny and he broke into a run, the moment of power and charisma lost as he rushed pell-mell to his room. When he got to his room, he warded the door and put both serpents on his bed, cautiously telling Shesha not to hurt the weaker snake.

"{Koschei is not weak,}" contradicted the snake.

Why had Koschei called Shesha 'Visha'?  He wasn't sure, but he thought Visha must be imprinted to Samara since it was Visha who communicated with Shesha when he was in the cupboard at the Snow Castle. He couldn't figure out how Samara managed to imprint one of the Dark Lord's basilisks, or even if it was a good idea or not, but after conversing repeatedly with Shesha about the incident in the cupboard, he finally understood that Visha had somehow made her understand that under no circumstances was he to leave the cupboard that fateful night Beatrice was saved, and so she had stopped him in the only way she knew how.

"{No,}" Shesha explained to Koschei, "{I am not Visha. I am her bitemate, Shesha. So you know Visha?}"  Shesha tasted the air again. "{You are not tsezz. You are not a basilisk, only a snake,}" Shesha surmised haughtily.

"{Only a snake?}" said Koschei, insulted.  "{I am a long nosed adder and can kill a man in 24 hours.}"

"{I can kill a man in 24 seconds,}" countered Shesha, "{and more like two seconds when I am old enough to open my eyes.}"

"{Shesha!}" said Harry appalled. "{You have never killed. You will not brag about killing. Killing is for eating. Do you want to be a zis?}"

"{No,}" said Shesha penitently.

"{I have killed,}" said Koschei in a superior tone. "{I have killed when for food and when not for food. I have killed for my mistress and my mistress has killed for her master.}"

Harry sucked in his breath. "{Snape said your mistress was twelve!}" hissed Harry.

"{Yes,}" agreed Koschei. "{My mistress has survived twelve winters and she holds the greatest den in all the cold snow. All the hisssuss come to her and all the Sissshausss.   She can make it warm in a flash!}"

"{Magic,}" said Shesha in a bored tone. "{My master has magic too. His magic is the strongest magic I have ever experienced.}"

"{Then you have not experienced much,}" said Koschei.  "{You are just a nestling.}"  Harry didn't take Koschei's words to heart.  After all, she was only a snake and couldn't sense magic like the basilisks could. And if Shesha said his magic was stronger than any—

"{Stonger than Voldemort?}" asked Harry, using Nagini's name for him, _Sissshauss-A-Sissshauss_, the great-one-always-hungry, and hoping Shesha understood who he was talking about.

"{Yes,}" Shesha agreed. "{Stronger than Sisshauss-A-Sissshauss.}"  Harry was suddenly much more interested in what Shesha had to say about his magic than what Koschei had to say about her mistress killing people. The thought made him slightly sick anyway.

Koschei kept talking however, telling Shesha that she wasn't so important. "{You have never been taken to Sissshauss-A-sissshauss. He will teach you great things. You must see him.}"

"{I have seen Him, and Visha says he is not tsezz,}" said Shesha petulantly.

"{Not tsezz? Not a bitemate?}" wondered Harry. "{Tell me about Visha's mistress,}" said Harry, expecting to hear about Samara. "{Tell me about her magic.}"

"{Which of her magics?}" asked Shesha. "{Visha's mistress has two distinct magics.}"

Harry frowned.  He wasn't sure what to ask. He assumed that she meant the different gifts of the Prophecy Child, but there were three gifts, not two. "{Her healing,}" said Harry.

"{She does not have healing,}" said Shesha.  "{Other mistress has healing,}"

"{Other mistress?}"  Harry frowned. What on earth was going on at the Voldemort's lair?  Maybe she meant master. After all, it was possible that gender wasn't understood well by the hermaphrodite species, and although he couldn't imagine Voldemort as a healer, He must have some sort of healing magic internally to be able to brew a potion that would give himself eternal life, so Harry had to reserve judgment. "{Tell me about the healer,}" said Harry. "{Does this mistress or master speak parseltongue?}"

"{Of course. A basilisk would not bond with a non-speaker,}" said Shesha haughtily.

"{And she holds a bitemate?}"  Harry asked. 

"{She holds seven bitemates,}" said Shesha, "{Vasuki, Tisha, Tacita, Tse, Sawa, Salacia, and Zila.}"

Harry listened, thinking these must be Voldemort's basilisks. He counted as Shesha recited the names, growing more concerned as the number increased. Of course, Shesha was not a problem, at this time, but the thought of that many basilisks under Voldemort's control was horrifying. The thought of a single basilisk under Voldemort's control in second year had been awful.Harry was, at the moment very uncertain and very worried.  "{Tell me what happened to all the bitemates,}" said Harry.

"{One bitemate did not hatch as I told you before. She was exposed to magic as an egg and chose to remain with the Elementals.

"{The rest are bonded to Sissshauss-A-Sissshauss,}" said Shesha.

Harry's mouth opened in shock. "{The rest?  How many basilisks are there?}"

"{Me and eleven other tsezz. Three bonded to Sissshauss-A-Sissshauss, seven bonded to the healer, and Visha is bonded to mistress with double magic.}"

_Double magic? What on earth did double magic mean—but that had to be Ginny_, thought Harry. _She was the only other person he knew of who spoke parseltongue, and Samara—she, of course, was the healer._ "{And Sissshauss-A-Sissshaus hasn't killed her for imprinting so many of his precious basilisks?)  Harry asked in parseltongue.  _Seven?  He thought. She had seven basilisks and Voldemort had not killed her?  Then he remembered Parvati's prophecy:  the Prophecy Child sleeping with the snakes—or basilisks._

"{He does not know,}" said Shesha. "{Mistress says bind to each other more firmly. Do not reveal we are bound to her. I must tell Visha and Salacia you agree with their Mistresses.}"

Harry sat silently thinking how he could use this to his advantage, when Koschei spoke.

"{Hisssuss?}" suggested Koschei hesitantly, and Harry realized he had no idea when the snake last ate. 

"{Can I trust the two of you together?}" asked Harry. And when they answered in the affirmative, he went to the kitchen for food for the snake.  When he returned with several packages of raw meat, the two snakes were curled up entwined together on his bed as if it was their nest. It had only been a day since Snape gave Harry Koschei to speak to, but it was such a long day. Harry put a cooling spell on the meat, levitated the two serpents to the cage together and went to bed himself. He realized he had not asked Koschei anything about the Death Eater incident that got her caught. _Tomorrow_, he thought as he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Harry debated the wisdom of taking both Shesha and Koschei with him to the library to meet with Draco and Lauren.  How did he, a Gryfindor, end up being the keeper of a basilisk and a deadly snake?  The same way he ended up being a parselmouth, he supposed, fate.  In the end, he decided to take them both because he wasn't sure it was safe to leave them alone in his dorm room.  He had fed them both and had urged them to be quiet as he left the room. Ron frowned at him as he pushed Shesha up to his elbow on one arm. Koschei was already on the other.  He pulled his robe sleeve down over both of them and hissed once again in parseltongue for them to be quiet. 

Harry dreaded having to explain to Ron why he had yet another serpent with him.  He didn't think his friends would be much happier that he was holding a deadly long nosed adder than they were when he told them he had imprinted a basilisk.  Nonetheless, they were his friends.  He was certain he could make them understand but hoped that Koschei could go back to the dungeon with Snape soon.  He didn't think she was going to give them that much information anyway.  She didn't seem to be as smart as the basilisks.

The meeting of the trio and Draco and Lauren in the school library was a disaster.  First of all, everyone at Hogwarts seemed to make it their business to stare at Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy sitting at the same table, by choice.   When Hermione and Ron joined them, the Slytherins began to sneer at them.  When Lauren joined them, the Gryffindors joined the taunting.  Only the Hufflepuffs seemed to leave them alone.  Even the Ravenclaws burned amazed stares into their backs.  It was so disconcerting to see Ravenclaws whispering in the library instead of studying, that Hermione suggested they should leave. 

"Where should we go, Granger," snapped Draco.  "Your room?  You're the prefect. We could all Apparate there since the wards aren't up yet."

"_I've_ warded it against Apparition," said Hermione in a superior tone.

"It takes at least two to set Apparition wards," said Draco.

"Ron and I," clarified Hermione and Draco smirked.

The beginnings of a blush colored Hermione's cheeks.

"Let's just get this done," whispered Harry, trying to keep his voice low as if he could be heard by the nearby Ravenclaws even though Hermione had set a silencing ward. "Can we do something to keep them from staring at us?"

"Staring isn't hurting us," said Draco. "Stare back Potter."

"Staring may be a gesture of dominance among apes and other primates," said Hermione.  "But I doubt it would work on wizards."

"At least it will work on the Gryffindors," said Malfoy, and Ron pulled his wand, glaring at Draco.

"See," Malfoy intoned, and instead of cursing Malfoy, Ron set a privacy ward around their table.

"Not bad," said Malfoy.  "You must be practicing.  Helping him with his—work—I see Granger.  It's so gauche to have to do the privacy ward yourself," teased Malfoy, causing Hermione's pink cheeks to blaze bright crimson.  Leaning close, he continued, "And I certainly wouldn't trust him with a contraceptive spell, after all, neither of his parents have been able to cast it."

Hermione, in the heat of the moment completely forgot that she had a wand. Instead she drew her arm back as if to smack his face with all of her anger. 

**_"Impedimenta!"_** said Draco, and her open palm collided with the solid wall of his spell.

Both Ron and Harry had their wands out, trained on Malfoy.

"What?" said Draco innocently. "I didn't do a thing to the Mudblood. I was just defending myself."

"This would have been easier if we had done this before we returned to Hogwarts," interrupted Lauren ignoring the taunting and drawn wands, as if this sort of tension was a common occurrence in Slytherin. 

'True," agreed Malfoy.  "How am I going to find you when my Mark burns?  You need to give me a schedule Potter, and then you have to stick to it. I wish we had a definite time and place."  Malfoy smoothed back his hair in an uncharacteristic nervous gesture.

After a moment, Harry put away his wand. "We still need Malfoy to help save the girls," he said, laying a hand on Ron's wand arm. "Save it."

Ron nodded once and put his wand away. "Are you alright, Hermione?" he asked.

"Yes, the only thing hurt is my pride," she said.

"What did he say?" asked Ron.

"Never mind," said Hermione.

"You know, Malfoy," said Harry, getting back to the issues at hand.  "There's still a problem with that closet you used to portkey to. It's too close to the hall where the Circle meets. How am I supposed to get out of the bloody closet with all the Death Eaters milling around?"

"Who's milling?" asked Malfoy.

"Harry's right," said Lauren. "And what about Samara and Ginny? Aren't they in the Circle too now?"

"Ginny is," agreed Malfoy reluctantly. "I guess we have to wait for one of his inner Circle meetings. Then I won't be in the hall. I will be able to help you."

"Oh yes, we have to have your help," snapped Ron.

"Actually, you do," said Draco sharply.

"If only they had seen the Infirmary at the Snow Castle," said Lauren, "they could Apparate."

"I can't Apparate anyway," said Harry.  "He _knows_ when I Apparate—At least when I'm close—or perhaps when he's thinking about me—"

"What?"  Draco frowned at Harry.

"You know that Malfoy.  You were there when He felt me Apparate against the wards." Harry touched his scar. "We have this little connection."

"Is that what happened?" asked Draco. "I wondered why I was suddenly _Crucioed_."

"I'm sorry," said Harry sincerely.

"For what?" snapped Draco. "Don't be an ass, Potter. Oh, I forgot. You can't help being an ass, can you?"

Harry reached for his wand again, but Lauren stopped him, laying her hand gently on Harry's shoulder. "Draco means it wasn't your fault he was _Crucioed_," said Lauren.  Harry wasn't sure how she came to that conclusion, but he decided to take her words at face value. 

"Draco," suggested Lauren. "You are going to have to give up the Invisibility cloak."

"No," he said.

"It's _mine_," said Harry.  "It was my father's before you _stole_ it."

"Humph."

"Draco," said Lauren again. "You can't expect Harry Potter and a Muggleborn witch to walk around the Snow Castle and not get caught. Be reasonable."

"I am always reasonable," snapped Malfoy.

"And if the Weasley twins are coming with us that will be three additional Weasleys at the Snow Castle. Don't you think someone will get suspicious?" persisted Lauren.

"No, the Weasleys aren't a problem," said Draco.

"What, Malfoy?" said Ron. "I can't believe it. Catch me, I am fainting." Ron threw his hand over his head, and collapsed into Hermione's lap. "Malfoy saying the Weasleys aren't a problem," he muttered.

"Well, in a manner of speaking," Draco corrected himself, with a droll grin.  "Some people might be suspicious, but they would assume Virginia convinced some family members to join the Dark Lord.  I don't think the Weasleys would get undue attention. They _are_ purebloods. Of course, Potter and Granger are a different story.  Maybe Polyjuice. Do you have any left, Lauren, or did you use it all playing Quidditch?" 

"I have some left," said Lauren.

"Polyjuice?" questioned Hermione. 

"Who would you get?" asked Harry.

Draco shrugged.  "Vincent and Gregory would be the easiest and the most likely to be with me."

Hermione cringed.

"The Polyjuice tastes bad enough," said Harry.  "You don't taste a difference from one person to another."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Ahh-Harry," began Hermione.

"Ok, so we can have Polyjuice ready," interrupted Lauren, "But that doesn't solve the problem of getting out of the closet or doing this without Draco to lead you to Samara and Ginny."

"Excuse me?" said Hermione.

"We have to do this when he calls the Inner Circle, but not the whole Circle," said Malfoy.  "See, if I were home, this wouldn't be a problem. I would know when Mother and Father are going, but at school—"

"What about Snape?" interrupted Ron

"Excuse me," said Hermione, firmly. "But I can't use Polyjuice."

"Why not?" asked Ron.

Hermione licked her lips and looked at the floor. She uttered a single word, "Animagus."

"Hermione!" shouted Ron grabbing her around the waist and twirling her around. "What is it?"  He glanced at the Slytherins. "No. Don't answer that," he said, still hugging her.  "Tell us later."

"Well, I'm not very good." Said Hermione.

"Right!" said Harry rolling his eyes and then grinning at her.  "You're good at everything, Hermione. Congratulations.  The first one of us to become an Animagus!"

"You asked about Snape," said Lauren, ignoring the Gryffindor's excitement about Hermione's Animagus.  "What do you think, Draco? Would he be called?"

"Yes," said Draco thoughtfully.  "Usually—but the Dark Lord is suspicious of him—I think that would work." He said at last. He looked at Lauren. "One of us is going to have to keep a close eye on Snape, and avoid being caught by his Legilimency."

"We could take turns," said Lauren. "Alvin would help."

"No," said Draco. "Alvin has enough to worry about with the box.  Anyway, he can't keep a secret from Snape."

"What box?" asked Harry.

"_Pandora's box_," said Draco, as if Harry was the stupidest git in the world.

"I thought he—I thought.  Do you mean Voldemort let him keep it? He's just—what—fifteen?"

"And your point, Potter?" asked Malfoy.

"I just didn't think Voldemort would trust something like that to someone our age."

"You thought wrong, Potter."  Draco rolled his eyes.  "Just like Dumbledore.  It must be a Gryffindor trait."

"What?" asked Harry.

"Wrong thinking," said Draco. 

"Underestimating the combination of magic and youth," interrupted Lauren.

"Or no thinking,"  continued Draco as he stood.  "Are we finished here?  I have Quidditch practice, and we're losing Ron's privacy shield.  Not much staying power, huh Weasel?"

Ron jumped to his feet, but Draco already had his wand out, as if he expected Ron's attack. "Too slow," he said in a bored voice.

"Sometimes, slow is better," said Ron, and Hermione gasped, turning red to the roots of her curly brown hair. 

Malfoy smirked at him. "Touche' Weasel."

"There you are," said Fred, coming over to the table with his twin by his side..

"We've been looking all over the library for you," said George.

"Oh, sorry," said Ron.  "We set a privacy ward.  Everyone was staring, and we thought it was best to avoid attention."

"We're almost finished," said Draco.

"Draco, are you saying, there are dementors in the school?" asked Harry completely ignoring the exchange between Draco and Ron and the twins, and bringing the conversation back to his concern.  "Dementors? Here, at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," agreed Draco. "In my dorm room—thousands of dementors. In fact, _all_ of the dementors. Kind of an incentive to learn the Patronus Charm."  His gray eyes sparkled with an unnatural light and Harry wondered for a moment if he was joking, or if it was just the challenge that actually intrigued the Slytherin.

Fred and George exchanged worried glances.

"I guess it would be," said Harry slowly.  "And Dumbledore?  Did he—say something to you, Draco? —about Samara."

"Not a word," said Draco rolling his eyes.  "After all I'm just a child to him."

Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"Let's try to find a different meeting place to meet too," said Hermione.  "Maybe we should double check everything we talked about."

"Good," agreed Draco, hesitating. "What if Snape is called between now and tomorrow, and I'm not?"

"Then we should go," said Harry his eyes boring into Draco's. "We'll stay together except for classes.  You might have to owl us to find us. Keep your piece of the Invisibility Cloak on you at all times, and I'll keep mine."

Draco shook his head frowning, "There has to be a better way."

"Well, everyone try to think of another way to find each other," said Hermione. "And write out your schedules. We'll continue to study in the library as planned, instead of the common room until this is finished. I guess I have to come to Quidditch practice."  She wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," said George. "You'll have fun, getting your nose out of those stuffy books for a change."

"We might even put you on a broom and you can play chaser," teased Fred.  "She can't be any worse than Creevy, can she?"

"No!" said Hermione emphatically.

"Maybe there's an open classroom somewhere for our meeting tomorrow," said Lauren. "I'll try to find one."  She glared at one of the Ravenclaws who was staring again.

"Me too," said Hermione. "I remember Lavender talking about the out dated Muggle studies classroom, but I don't know where it is. I'll ask her."   

"Tomorrow, then?" said Draco. "After Defense?"

"We have a Potions project we have to check on," said George, "but we'll be there."

"Late, perhaps, but we will be there," agreed Fred.

"What potion?" asked Ron, eyes narrowed.

"Nothing that need concern you, little brother," said Fred, eyes twinkling.

"Don't worry.  We'll show you when it's finished," promised George.

"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Ron.

Draco and Lauren left the library and the Gryffindors looked at one another.  "Do you think this is going to work?" asked Ron.

"It has to," said Harry.  "It just has to."

==

Although Ron and Hermione asked to know what Dumbledore wanted with him, earlier, Harry just told them about the Sorting Hat spell.  He did not elaborate on the information he got from Rowena Ravenclaw or try to explain the effects of the room.  He didn't think he could even if he tried.  The entire meeting had played itself over and over in Harry's head and he wasn't sure that he could make enough sense of it to describe it to another person. He did, however, tell them about Koschei.  After their initial shock, both Ron and Hermione bowed to Harry's insistence that they talk to the snake about the Death Eaters. 

"After all," agreed Hermione, "if Dumbledore thinks it's the right thing to do, we should do it."

Reluctantly, Ron agreed.

"At least we're not trying to talk to giant spiders," said Harry.

"Like basilisks are a lot better," moaned Ron.

"She's not a basilisk, just a snake," said Harry.  Harry now sat down with the idea of having that serious talk with Koschei.  Ron and Hermione were by his side in Hermione's room.  He had told them all of what Snape had said, about the snake and some of what had transpired when he talked to Koschei and Shesha earlier.  His suspicion that Ginny had imprinted one of the basilisks he kept to himself.  He didn't think Ron was ready for the news. As he spoke, in parseltongue, he translated his own part and Koschei's answers. Hermione took notes. 

They discerned that Koschei did indeed belong to a twelve-year-old girl named Maura Rosier.  She had been bought for Maura as a protection animal when she came to Durmstrang last year.  When Maura was eleven, she snuck out of the school with a few friends to explore the neighboring town.  They rode broomsticks, and Harry learned that she had a rather fast broom, that Koschei vigorously disliked riding, but she went because she went everywhere with Maura.

According to Koschei, Maura was approached by sheish, which Harry translated as _evil wizards.  _Harry and Hermione were unable to determine if these wizards were actually Death Eaters or just local brigands. Maura was disarmed of her wand, but slashed at one of the wizards with a knife she carried and then she was knocked unconscious by his spell.  Maura's need pushed Koschei into action and she bit the second man, killing him.  As far as Harry could tell, when Maura awoke, both men were dead and Maura left the area telling no one of the fact that she had killed until Ginny showed up at Durmstrang and took her home.

_Home!_  The Snow Castle was the home of Maura Rosier!  Surely this fact would help the Order to learn where the Death Eaters were secluded. The question was, how soon did Harry want to tell the Order.

"Harry, we have to tell them," said Hermione. "If they know where it is, they can rescue the girls."

"If they know where it is, they can kill the girls," said Harry. "We have to find them first."

"Dumbledore wouldn't do that," insisted Hermione.

"We aren't just talking about Dumbledore here," said Harry. "Remember Snape saying that the Order had a spy?  We can't trust the Order."

"I don't know, Harry," said Ron.

"Well, I do," said Harry sharply. "Even if we told the Order, do you think it's easy asking directions from a snake?  It would be much simpler if I just gave Dumbledore my portkey. Oh, wait, let me make one to Azkaban too, because that's where they'll be taking the girls!  Of course, it shouldn't be that bad, because the dementors are in the Slytherin dorm!"

"What's with you?" asked Ron.

"What's with you?" Harry countered.  "We can't tell the Order now.  Your sister has a Dark Mark in case you've forgotten!  We can do this.  We're so close to rescuing the girls without them—"

"Harry!" said Hermione.  "We need their help."

"No, we don't," said Harry vehemently. "We didn't need them in first year, or second year, or fourth year and we don't need them now."  Harry felt like he couldn't trust anyone. He knew it was paranoid, but he couldn't seem to help himself.  The only ones he was sure of were Ron and Hermione. Everyone else was suspect.

The tap of a dark eagle owl on the window brought them all to their feet. Ron reached the window first, and threw it open, but the owl went to Harry. The note had no name, but it was short and scathing, the words on it scrawled:  _Where the fuck are you?_

"Draco's in the library, and wondering where we are," surmised Hermione, reading over his shoulder, and Harry nodded, pulling out the Maurader's Map to double check on Draco's location. 

_"Using the portkey to the Snow Castle," _Harry scribbled saying aloud, "The owl has to find Draco quickly."

"I'll Apparate her to the library," suggested Hermione and Harry nodded. After magicking the note onto the owl, which was faster than tying, he said, "Find Draco, quickly." 

The owl shot out of the window, but Hermione pointed her wand at it and said _"**Itare Phantasma**,"_ and the owl disappeared mid-flight. 

Harry picked up his wand. "This is it," he said, pulling the portkey to the Snow Castle from his robe pocket.

"What about the twins?" said Ron as he and Hermione put their hands on the portkey.

"No time. His wards are only down long enough for His Inner Circle to Apparate," answered Harry. Actually, Harry was rather glad they wouldn't be able to go. He didn't want to have the twins' deaths on his conscience if some thing went wrong.

"And shouldn't we Apparate to Draco?" asked Hermione, "So that he will know where we are?"

"No time. Anyway, I don't want there to be any chance that Voldemort can figure out where I'm Apparating to right now. The portkey is safer," said Harry as the sudden pull at his navel activated, and with it came a rather sick feeling that was not associated with portkeying.  The group found themselves still standing in Hermione's room, the feeling of both pushing and pulling warring around the spot of his navel.

"What happened?" asked Hermione releasing the portkey and rubbing her stomach.

"His wards are back up," answered Ron. "We missed it."

"We have to go to Draco," said Harry pulling the Maurader's Map from his pocket to be sure that Draco was still at the library.  "Library," he said.  **_"Itare Phantasma!"_**

"Where have you been?" demanded Draco in a low snarl.  "I've been looking all over for you.  You were supposed to be in the library.  We've missed it!  Snape was just called!  If you had done what you said!"

Madam. Pince stalked over to the group, and admonished them to be quiet.  "And you are not permitted to Apparate into this library!" she said glaring at the trio.

"Yes, Madam Pince," said Hermione shame-faced.  "We won't do it again."

"Since it is you, Miss Granger," said Madam Pince.  "I'll let it go this time, but if you Apparate into this library again, you will be serving a detention."  Her eyes surveyed the group.  "All of you," she said.

"Yes, Ma'am," the group answered and Madam Pince when back to her desk.

"This would have been the perfect time," said Draco in a harsh whisper.  "Why weren't you here?"

"Snape gave Harry a snake to talk to," said Ron.  

"We couldn't have Harry talking in parseltongue in the library," said Hermione.

"Why not?" sneered Draco. "I thought you could do a privacy shield, Granger"

"Then you wouldn't have seen us," interrupted Ron.

"But you would have seen me, idiot," snapped Draco.

Ron reached into his pocket for his wand, but Harry grabbed his arm. "Let's continue this conversation outside of the library. Madam Pince is looking like she wants to curse the lot of us."

They had no sooner left the library than Draco stopped, hissing through his teeth.  "You Gryffindors have all the luck," he said.  "It's a good thing we didn't go."

"What?" asked Harry, confused that Draco had just totally changed his mind.

"Conversation's over," said Draco, significantly touching his left forearm.  Harry's green eyes met Draco's gray ones. Just for a moment he realized how lucky they were that they hadn't gone to the Snow Castle if Voldemort now decided to call the whole group of Death Eaters. Draco Disapparated to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds and then crossed the boundary, presumably to Disapparate to the Dark Lord from there.

Harry stared after him worriedly.

"Harry," said Hermione, laying a hand on Harry 's shoulder.  "Are you alright?"

"Yes," said Harry.  "I was just—worried about—Draco."

"You're kidding," snorted Ron.  "He made the choice, didn't he?"

"Ron, he's just worried because we need Draco to help us rescue Samara and Ginny," said Hermione.

But Harry said nothing. Neither Ron nor Hermione had heard Draco being tortured by Voldemort. _Regrets_, thought Harry_.  Had he done his very best?_  Then he shouldn't have regrets.  Amazingly, he thought, he didn't.  Going over the last few minutes he realized there wasn't anything he could have changed. After all, Draco had made his choice.

==

"Harry!  Harry!"  Harry turned to see Cho Chang hurrying from the library to catch up with them.  "I have something I want to show you," she said, opening a muggle paper.  It was written in Chinese.  "My grandmother sends me this," she said.  "She wants me to keep up with reading Chinese.  It's yesterday's paper, January 14."  As she opened the paper,  a black and white photograph stood out against the printing.  In it, standing in the crowd behind the Chinese officials was the profile of a wizard who was distinctly familiar, his blonde hair standing out sharply against the dark haired orientals surrounding him.

"Lucius Malfoy," breathed Hermione as she looked over their shoulders.

"Yes," said Cho.  "And the question is, what was he doing in China?"

"What's the article about, Cho?" Harry asked.

"It's about a textile plant that is leaking toxins into the drinking water.  Several muggles have died and there is evidence that it causes sterility.  The company asserts that they are following procedures, and did not leak toxic chemicals, but the evidence is there.  The textile plant is to close until further notice."

"Did you show this to Dumbledore?" asked Harry.

"I tried," said Cho,  "But Professor McGonagall said that he isn't here.  He's in Berlin."

"Berlin?" said Ron.  "Berlin, Germany?  What's he doing there?"

==

meeting stuff. Still on Jan 14. Sunday. End ch with Narcissa and Gloria and Ethan at Malfoy manor.

Voldemort was pacing his room.  Nagini lay coiled on the floor.  She was sleeping contentedly, but he was nervously awaiting news from his team of Death Eaters in Israel.  At last the fire call from Stergis and Bode confirmed that the Israeli Prime Minister was dead. Voldemort  now only had to wait for the peace talks to fall into disarray. 

"There is one problem," Stergis told him.  "The German Death Eater who did the deed was caught on the muggle video tape." 

"That's not a problem," said Voldemort.  "It isn't the first time Germany targeted Jews.  I expected the German to get caught, how else would Israel blame Germany for the assassination?"

"But sir," Bode protested.  "He used the portkey while on the tape.  It wouldn't be a problem to obliviate any Muggles who saw him disappear, if there were any, but if it is put on the Muggle television—"

Voldemort hissed his displeasure.  "Imbeciles all of you!" he spat.  "Why didn't anyone deactivate the portkey?"

"I don't know, Master," said Stergis nervously stepping back from the fire, as if he were expecting Voldemort's wrath.  "What would you have us do now?" He asked softly.

Voldemort clamped his hands around the rampant magic that wanted release in the form of a curse.  "Bode," he growled.  "You take your team and track down that tape and destroy it.  Stergis, since Dumbledore trusts you, you'd better go to Berlin and try to head off Dumbledore.  No doubt he will be poking his long nose into this.  See that he finds nothing to connect to anything but a single disgruntled wizard."

"Did you have a particular wizard in mind to use as a scapegoat?" asked Stergis.

"No," said Voldemort in an offhand way.  "Anyone but a Death Eater, it doesn't matter."

Voldemort concluded with fire call with a sigh.  He should have had both of them apparate to him.  It was supremely unsatisfying to see a mistake go unpunished.  Well, there would be time later. 

Moments after the fire call concluded, Carman sought admittance.  Usually, Carman pleased him, but today, nothing could please him.  The mistakes at the U.S. white house and now the mistakes in Israel were disturbing, and his mind was still on the future activities which had not yet run amuck.  He left Carman kneeling longer that usual as he thought about what might go wrong, and how to guard against it.  At last he turned his attention to her.  She wanted some favor from him.

He hardly listened to her as he sneered in impatience and annoyance.  It was bad enough that he constantly had to deal with Death Eaters jockeying for position at his right hand.  Today, the fact that it was Carman, made him furious.

He hated when Carman thought she could beg for favors from him.  It undermined his authority and reminded him of times best forgotten. She should be above this sort of thing.

"Please, Master," she begged on bended knee, the long white curtain of her hair hiding her face from him.

"No," he snapped, pacing away from her. "Don't ask again. Ethan doesn't have the control for the Fire Elemental and you obviously have been remiss in teaching him.  Edward's gift is with water and even he has better control over the Fire Elemental, but I can't send one without the other. The whole point of sending them was the shared magic. And shared magic needs control.  If they can't do it, I will have to send someone else."

"I tell you, Ethan can do it when he wants to.  He just gets sloppy. He's young."

"The Snood girl has it and she's younger than he is. Stop making excuses for him Carman.  It's time for him to grow up if we are going to trust him with an adult job.  At this point, I'm looking for another to do the task, and that's the end of it.  Perhaps Draco and --."

"But Master," begged Carman. "It will demoralize Ethan to take him from the task at this point. There is already a bitter rivalry between Draco and Ethan and since you moved Draco up in the circle he has been waiting for this chance to prove himself.  What can I do to persuade you to reconsider?"  She brought her hands boldly onto the bottom of his robe, uncertain as to whether or not he would cast her away.  When he did not, she crept her hands up his legs, across his torso to his shoulders. Her thoughts were of times gone by—times when he was Tom, and he was easily persuaded.

Tom remembered how carefully he had planned the event, but Dumbledore had been one step ahead of both him and Grindlewald.  There was only one thing to do:  flee, and leave Grindlewald to his fate.  It was earlier than he had wished, but Grindlewald had to fall anyway to make room for the new Dark Lord.  Tom had nearly wore the bristles off of his Silver Arrow  as it whisked through the air at neck break speed. He was covered with sweat when he finally arrived at Hogwarts. He flew half the length of the underground  passage to Slytherin when suddenly his broom was cursed, and he dropped to the ground in a crouch, pulling his wand as he fell.

_"They know you were gone. Tom.  Aurors arrived 10 minutes ago.  They are waiting for you in your dorm," said Carman calmly as she pocketed her wand.  He stood looking at her, wondering what he should do, when_ _she clasped his hand, leading him into her room instead.  Her fingers seemed to burn his skin as she undid his robe._

_"Where are your roommates?" asked Tom._

_"They won't be bothering us," replied Carman as she pressed her self against him and kissed him with a ferocity that she had never had before.  "But Dippit will.  I told Myrtle you were in my room.  They should be questioning her now."_

_"But then, we can't," Tom protested, pulling away from her. "Your reputation…"_

_"Will grow by your side," Carman whispered as she pulled the pins from her hair and let it fall in a silvery sheet to her waist._

_"I won't forget this," said Tom._

_"I won't let you forget," promised Carman._

_They had divested each other of half of their clothes before the knock came to the door, followed by "**Alohomora!"**  It was the only detention Tom had ever received._

==

Salazar shook off the memory and looked at the woman before him. "But Carman, you are no longer young and beautiful," he said callously,

"But my magic is the same," she replied, her breath hot on his face.

"Your magic doesn't interest me," he replied, "but perhaps—"He smiled thinking that he had never felt the tremors of her _Crucioed_ body against his. The thought intrigued him. "Tell me, Carman," he asked grasping her chin in his hand, and allowing his long fingers to trace a path into her cleavage.  "Does your body seize when you are _Crucioed?_"

"No," objected Tom. "It's me you're angry at, not her.  You have no reason to crucio her! None!"

Salazar smirked, thinking_, "Still protecting your little girlfriend Tom. When will you learn that it was never you she wanted. It was me."_  He pulled Carman closer to him with the finger crooked over the top edge of her robe.

"I-I don't know," she said, her eyes growing wide, fear filling her thoughts.  "It's been a long time since I was _Crucioed_.  I am always careful.  I am faithful—"

"Shall we see?" he asked softly as he loosened the clasp on her robe.

"Wh-whatever you wish, Master.  I--I am yours," She laid her hand gently on his, as if to halt his progress.  "If only you will give Ethan another chance."

"You are mine whether I give Ethan another chance or not," Voldemort said coldly.

**_"Crucio!"_**

Much later, Voldemort called Severus Snape. He had made his decision about Ethan and Edward, but he was not willing to let it be known to Carman yet.  If Ethan and Edward could earn their place, he would give it to them.  If not, it would go to Draco.  Either way, he needed to know exactly how competent all of his young Death Eaters were.

At His call, Severus Apparated before him and prostrated himself on the ground.

"What news?" he asked Severus.

"Dumbledore is still looking for the spy in his ranks," said Severus.  "But he is cautious.  He lets nothing slip.  I have not yet found an exploitable weakness, but I will.  All is in readiness."

"If I weren't sure of your loyalty," said Voldemort softly, "I would think you were stalling."

"No, Master, but I have decided the time, if it meets your approval."

"Tell me," said Voldemort, and Severus began to speak in his soft compelling voice.  Voldemort nodded, smiling and called the rest of the inner circle.  Once they had laid the rest of the plans, he called the children, children he had begun to think of as his new inner circle:  Owen Pritchard, Alvin Nott, Maura Rosier, Millicent Bulstrode, Ethan and Edward Lestrange, Draco Malfoy and Gloria Snood.

The first thing Voldemort did when the Circle assembled, was to call Alvin Nott forward.  "Alvin," he said.  "You have pleased me.  I cannot and will not take the burden of  Pandora's box from you yet, but I am fulfilling my  promise to you."

"Your promise?" asked Alvin confused.

"When you first, gained control of the box, you asked that your father be returned to you.  I have done so."  Voldemort motioned an adult forward from the Circle. 

"But—how?  He was dead," Alvin said amazed.  "I saw him fall.  I saw—" Alvin took several steps forward as if he would run to the man in the Circle and hug him, but then he stopped. and turned towards Voldemort, bowing deeply. "How is this possible?"

"I am more powerful than you know, Alvin."  Voldemort's eyes strayed to Draco's "More powerful than any wizard or witch alive."

 "You have given me my father's life," said Alvin, dropping to his knees and  kissing Voldemort's robes.  "I give you mine."

"Silly, boy," laughed Voldemort.  "You already did that."  Voldemort reached out, stroking Alvin's hair enjoying the utter openness of the boy's thoughts.  "I would still be glad to call you son," said Voldemort.

"Thank you, Master," said Alvin. 

"Go, visit with your father," said Voldemort waving them away.  "You two are dismissed."

"Draco," said Voldemort.  "I moved you forward in the Circle because you brought Samara to me, but you will have to earn that place to keep it.  I have a task for you. Your father will take you to meet a Death Eater who has offended me greatly: Arvil Folant He has also offended you, Draco.  He is a shortsighted fellow who does not believe that children should be in my inner circle.  He is in my dungeon.

"Yes, Master," said Draco, expecting the task to become clear in a moment, but Voldemort did not elaborate.

Instead he asked, "Do you know what happens to Death Eaters who displease me?"

"They die," said Draco softly.

"That's correct," said Voldemort. "You have killed Muggles, have you not?"

"Yes Master."

Suddenly Voldemort reached out and gripped Draco's left arm, their magic mingling through the Mark.  Draco sucked in his breath. 

. "I felt your hatred for Harry Potter," Voldemort said.  "I know it is sufficient to fire the _Avada_ spell, but I think you may be ready for something a little more advanced than Muggles:  something that perhaps will test your resolve.  Shall we see, Draco?"

Draco licked his lips, and Voldemort instantly felt his nervousness through his touch.  "Yes Master," he said, bringing his determined eyes up to meet Voldemort's red gaze.

"Good," said Voldemort, pleased with the boy's determination.  "Lucius, when this Circle is dismissed, you will take your son to see Arvil in the dungeon.  I wish him to know what happens to those who displease me."  Voldemort released Draco.

"Yes, Master," said Lucius and Draco together, and they stepped back awaiting their Master's further orders.  Voldemort turned to Ethan.  **"Restrictus!"** he said and Ethan froze, eyes open and staring at Voldemort.  Panic rose in the boy, and Voldemort reveled in it.

"You like Gloria Snood," he said.  "I've seen you two together."

"Yes," said Ethan, still paralyzed, but internally shaking with fear. "She's Ok."

"She likes fire too," said Voldemort pulling from the Fire Elemental. "Did you know that? And she has much more control than you, a benefit of working with Narcissa," Voldemort said. "I think your grandmother coddles you too much, Ethan.  What do you think?" Absently he rubbed his thumb along Ethan's chin.  Normally the boy didn't flinch from him, but the paralysis spell had him nervous, and he longed to pull away from Voldemort's touch.  Bits of flame appeared at Voldemort's fingertips, but they were not yet hot.

"I don't know, Sir," he stuttered. Voldemort held the tiny flame at his fingertips until he felt the heat and then he ran his hand over Ethan's right eye. Although Ethan couldn't move, he could scream and he shrieked so that the echoes reverberated in the hall. Voldemort could feel the disgust rising from somewhere in the Circle.  He couldn't tell if the disgust was in response to Ethan's screaming or if it was directed to him and his handling of the situation. Such emotions could not go unnoticed.  Voldemort considered _Crucioing_ the offender, but when he realized that it was Draco who was broadcasting the feelings, he decided to explain instead. 

"You're getting soft," remarked Tom. "Old. You may have eternal life, but not eternal vigor.  How many Crucios can you handle before you start to tire and the spell loses some of its power?"

"More than you," Voldemort snarled at Tom before directing his attention to the Circle again.

 "The way he is screaming," Voldemort explained, his eyes meeting Draco's, "you would have thought I am blinding him, but I am not."  Ethan's fear was a calming balm to Voldemort as he slowly singed off the boy's eyelashes. The fear was primal and stark and completely consumed him. That was the beauty of children, he thought. They lived so vividly. For a moment Voldemort just let the delicious fear fill him. Then, he examined Ethan's face, one set of eyelashes on, the other off. "Did I burn you?" he asked gently. 

"No Master," Ethan stammered, still amazed that he had his eyesight.

Voldemort felt Ethan's heart rate returning to normal, his fear subsiding. "Did I hurt you in any way?" Voldemort asked again.

"No Master." Ethan was still sucking in deep shuddering breaths. "Thank you, Master," Ethan breathed. "I see how important control is now—"

"Oh, I don't think you do.  Not yet. I think I will leave the other eyelash for Gloria to do," he said softly.  "Right after you do hers—"

Gloria sucked in her breath, her thoughts practically shouted.  _I didn't do anything wrong!_

Immediately, the fear returned to Ethan and it was not less than when Voldemort had held the flames at his face.  _No!  She can't!_

Draco, who had originally broadcast the disgust, now had his emotions under control, and Voldemort could sense nothing from him; of the children, he was definitely the most precise.

"You can remove her eyelashes first, Ethan" said Voldemort. "That way, if you hurt her, she can retaliate. Narcissa, you will work with them on this.  Use Elemental water only if one or the other is in danger of death."

"Not blindness?" asked Narcissa.

"No," said Voldemort unconcernedly. "Blindness can be fixed."

"The paralysis spell?" asked Narcissa.

"You do that," said Voldemort." You won't want them complaining that the other moved."

"Yes, Master."

Voldemort grasped Ethan's face in his hand.  "If you hurt this little girl with your carelessness," he said softly, "she may get careless with you. And worse, Ethan, when you are finished, you will answer to me for any damage you do. Remember she is mine.  You wouldn't want to damage what is mine."

"No, Master," Ethan squeaked. "I promise—"

"Bring them to my chamber when you are finished, Narcissa.  You three are dismissed from the Circle, and you, Lucius may take Draco to see Arvil in the dungeons."

Immediately Lucius and Draco Disapparated.

"We will go to Malfoy Manor," said Narcissa. She turned to Gloria. "Are you comfortable Apparating yourself there?" she asked.

Gloria nodded. "Yes, Ma'am"

After they arrived at the Manor, Gloria turned, grabbing the collar of Ethan's robe.  "One spark on my eye," growled Gloria, "and I will crush every bone in your body, Ethan, with excruciating slowness."

"Now, Dear, we practiced that spell already," said Narcissa.  "We'll choose a new one if he hurts you."

**Answers to Reviewers:**

Voldy's pink teddie:  Thanks for the kudos.  And it's a blue bunny, not a teddy.

Akiel:  Thanks for the review.  And I'm not telling who the green eyed squib was.  15 reviews gets the next chapter, so if you want them sooner, you have to recruit some friends to read the story.

Christina:  Yes, I was concerned about the way this chapter would be perceived.  Of course, I'm not Volde.  I have my moments, and I enjoy writing him, but I am not Voldemort.  I'm not…I'm not…heheheh

Ammarine:  Yes, well it was meant to be ironic.  Lucius talking about greedy people. And I can't believe no one realized who the green eyed squib was.

Trillium: Glad this chappie was a fav.  More good ones on the way.  You will have a new favorite soon.

Ennui:  None of the countries attacked anyone yet, US included, so no they weren't waiting for the US or UK or anyone particularly.  Volde was just sowing chaos.  And the portkeys were a back up plan in case they forgot how to apparate.  I was just reminding the reader that they had them, in case they need them later.   Yes, the Rosiers were killed by aurors in the time when they were allowed to use the killing curse.  Remember in JK's book—I think it was GoF when Dumbledore said that the Aurors were almost as bad as the DE.

Jager:  Yes, well my Volde is more evil than most Voldemorts…muwhawhawha!

Silverfox:  So glad you are still with me.  It's been ages since you've done a new fic.  I think it's about time, don't you?  And well, no one was conscious who cared about Koschei, but don't worry.  We will see Koschei again.

Harpy:  Yes, it did jump around a bit.  It was all the different countries that Volde is trying to manipulate.  Sorry you were confused. If you tell me where exactly where I lost you, maybe I can fix it.  Volde grumbles. Stupid muggles.

Kemenran:  Typical

Cara the Mord Sith:  No this chapter was not shorter.  Most are between 5-8 thousand words. This one was over 6 thousand, so just in the middle.  I guess you are reading faster.

== 

**To all of those who haven't yet reviewed** this chapter, now is the time.  Review.  Click the little button on the left corner and tell me what you think.  Remember **15 reviews equals a new chapter. **

Sure beats paying for it, doesn't it?

Lady Lestrange

Good stuff coming.  You don't want to miss it.

  == 


	21. CH 21: Timely Trust

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

Timely Trust 

Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer**: The Harry Potter characters and the previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this fanfic. Thanks JK

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Althernate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Howwarts, the trio try to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria.  Meanwhile, the trio work out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls.  Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings.  How will Neville work in the trio's mix?   The Slytherins and Gryffindors learn more about each other.

For further discussion, visit:  YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

**Chapter 21**

**Timely Trust**

Severus Snape paced in agitation.  "You Albus gave me that accursed Mutt and he gave me this!"

Albus looked over his half moon glasses at the beautiful dark haired girl who had prostrated herself at his feet.  "Get up child," said Albus Dumbledore, but the girl did not move.  

"**Interpretora est!"**  "Get up child," Albus repeated, the interpretation spell putting the words into her own language.

She still didn't move.

"Come now," said Albus.  "I said get up, child.  Why are you still kneeling?

"I must kneel.  I must not look upon the faces of  the messengers of Allah," said the woman, her face buried in her hands, she trembled.  "I am unworthy.  I must not even speak, but you asked it of me, and so I spoke."

"She thinks we are the messengers of her god," spat Snape.  "Idiot muggles—"

"Oh come Severus," said Albus eyes twinkling..  "You have to admit it's better than what most people have to say about you."  Albus grinned.  "It's one of his better gifts, actually.  At least it has nothing to do with pain."

"Yes, it does," hissed Severus, turning to face Albus.  "What am I supposed to do with her?"

Albus stroked his long white beard and sucked a lemon drop.  "You could have her walk the dog," he suggested, looking at the animal who was curled silently at Severus' feet.

Severus glowered at him.

"It was a joke, Severus.  Surely the child has a home you could return her to."

Severus began to pace again.  "She said that it would be the gravest sin to be cast from heaven and she would be shamed beyond life."  Severus, sighed.  "I'm not sure if that means she would take her own life or not. I'm not used to dealing with this Gryffindor honor stuff, Albus, that's _your_ department."  Severus stopped, and rubbed his temples. "A well placed curse I understand," said Severus, "But this—"  He trailed off perplexed, and then began again. "Albus, you know I can't have her tailing along behind me right now.  I just don't have the time and it's dangerous, for her and for me."

"Very well," said Albus in a long suffering sort of way..  "Leave her here.  I will see if Sprout could give her a job in the greenhouses.  She said there aren't enough students to finish the weeding this year anyway.  The Ministry is going to have a field day with this.  Muggles within Hogwart's walls," muttered Albus.

"Gifts from Voldemort within Hogwart's wall," corrected Snape as he headed for the door, leaving the Muggle woman with Albus.  He snapped his fingers at the dog who stood and followed obediently at his heels.

==

During DADA class, Harry Potter was thinking of everything but class.  Since his time in the Ravenclaw chapel and pulling the Elemental Magic through himself, even with a wand, he felt restless and edgy.  He tried to focus his mind on what Snape was saying, but his concern for the girls kept creeping into his mind and concern for whatever was happening in the Muggle world also plagued him.

 He was trying to think of a convenient meeting place for the Gryffindors and Slytherins, so they could further plan the rescue, but finding common ground on which to meet was more difficult than he had imagined..  Harry had thought of using one of the bathrooms, but with the ghost traffic in them this year, he wasn't sure it was safe.  Besides, Ginny and Samara had been taken from one of those bathrooms—Voldemort right in the school.  It made Harry think about the number of times Voldemort had been in the school.  Harry was beginning to feel that Hogwarts was not nearly as safe a haven as he had first thought when he was eleven, but he was no longer eleven.  Although he could forgive Dumbledore for missing Wormtail, both Crouch and Quirrel had to be laid solidly at Dumbledore's feet.  After all, Dumbledore hired both of them!  It made Harry wonder just how competent Dumbledore really was. 

He didn't mind doing Dumbledore's bidding, but not blindly—not anymore.   He was tired of being a pawn in a game, when he wasn't even sure who the players were.  He was tired of being used.  He was a Gryffindor.  He was better than that.  He was going to save the girls.  With Malfoy's help, he had saved Beatrice and he was going to save Samara and Ginny, with or without Malfoy, but Malfoy seemed determined to be a part of the rescue.  Harry wasn't sure why.  Hermione thought Malfoy was in love with Samara.  Harry had his reservations.  He still thought Malfoy was up to something.  He couldn't help it.  He just couldn't trust him.  Harry's daydreaming came to an abrupt end as he heard Snape snarl at him.

**"Expellarmus!" **

Harry's fingers automatically clutched around his wand, as it left his pocket, gripping it tightly and following the spell with a ward to block whatever Snape was likely to send his way.  Harry wasn't actually surprised.  Snape usually tried to take his wand at least once during DADA class and although his curses were not usually debilitating, they were always frightening.  Harry was glad he didn't get to know just what the icy feeling of the blue spell was.  As Snape released his spell, Harry dropped the ward.

Snape narrowed his eyes.  "Pay attention, Potter," he said, but he didn't take any house points.  Actually, thought Harry, if he hadn't been a Gryffindor, he probably would have awarded house points for holding on to his wand and blocking in the next second.  Harry grinned. He was beginning to get better at it.  He was now able to hold on to his wand even if it completely left his pocket as long as he got the proper grip, when he grasped it, and more often than not, he could throw an immediate spell back at Snape.  He had, however, _never_ hit him with one.  He decided that Snape's legilimency allowed him to anticipate Harry's spell and block accordingly.  He moved entirely too fast for it to be anything else.  It had become a goal of Harry's to curse him at least once before the school year ended.

As Snape went back to his teaching,  Harry pocketed his wand and picked up his quill.  He noticed Edward and Ethan looking at him, their lips drawn back in an identical smirk, then Ethan looked away, rubbing his eyes as if he didn't get enough sleep the night before.  Harry tried to remember what time Edward had come in the night before and couldn't.  He would have to talk to Hermione about keeping an eye on him.  Harry didn't want him losing house points for wandering around the Castle after hours even if he did seem to think he needed a midnight snack every other night.  Harry frowned.  There was something different about the way Ethan and Edward looked at one another.  Harry couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but they were different since they came back from their winter holiday.

Harry looked away and went back to thinking about the upcoming meeting that he had with Hermione and Ron, and Draco and Lauren. They would have to ditch Edward, and that was getting harder and harder to do.  The boy was practically like Filch, turning up at the most inopportune times.  Harry wouldn't have felt so strongly about keeping Edward in the dark, if he didn't have a sneaking feeling that Edward was the reason Ginny was with the Dark Lord in the first place. 

He wasn't about to put Draco's life at risk too if he could help it.   After seeing Draco taking the veritaserium, Harry had a grudging understanding of the boy.   It was still a long way from trust.  _How can I do this if I don't trust Draco?  Thought Harry.  And yet, I trust him more than I trust Edward.  How could that happen when Edward is in Gryffindor? How can I not take the chance to save the girls, even if it puts us all at risk?_

Harry was looking forward to Dumbledore using the Sorting Hat to resort the new students who were sorted by divination at the beginning of the year.  He wondered if he would feel vindicated or betrayed if Edward ended up in Slytherin, not that Slytherins were all bad.   He was working quite closely with two of them, if the meeting place worked out.  Harry pushed his unruly hair back, and tried to take notes.

Of course, the Gryffindors and Slytherins couldn't meet in either common room.  The library, they had discovered, was rather too public.  In the end, they decided the least troublesome spot was simply an unused classroom.  The Gryffindors and Slytherins had decided to go there shortly after their last class, Defense, and work out how to rescue the girls, but in Defense, Professor Snape asked Malfoy to stay after class.

"Don't tell me," sneered Edward, "The golden boy is in trouble with Snape for once."

"I don't think so," said Harry thoughtfully, as he walked with his friends, but he hesitated as he heard Snape say, "I see you've decided to befriend the Gryffindors, Draco.  Are you sure that's wise?" 

"I'll catch up," said Harry as Hermione and Ron turned to leave, Harry caught Ron's arm, whispering, "Don't tell Edward where we are going tonight."

Ron rolled his eyes as he left, hurrying to catch up with Hermione while Harry lingered outside in the corridor.  He considered using the extendable ears to hear their conversation, but Snape didn't set a silencing ward, so Harry could hear without their help. Obviously, Snape didn't care who heard him.  Harry had a slight pang of conscience about eavesdropping, but pushed it aside thinking he had a right to know. Snape and Malfoy were talking about 'the Gryffindors'.  He had no illusions about exactly who that was.

Harry turned his attention to Snape and Draco as he heard the name Dumbledore.

 "I have faith in you, Draco," Snape said.

Snape might have faith in Malfoy, thought Harry, but Dumbledore wouldn't put his faith in children unless some prophecy told him to.  Why did he feel betrayed by Snape talking so intimately to Malfoy and not to him.  Just because the law said that Snape was his guardian, didn't change their relationship.  Snape hated him.  Well, the feeling was mutual.

Snape was talking in a soft voice. "Finding evil among innocence is so foreign to his beliefs that he cannot accept the fact that children are Death Eaters, and it is children who will decide our future."

"Is this another prophecy?" asked Malfoy.

"No, just the truth.  Children have always been the future.  In every generation—Voldemort sees that.  He sees the power of their magic and moulds it to His will, but on the other hand, His bid for immortality keeps Him in the forefront of every generation.  Those who oppose Him are always trying to catch up, and He has both the wisdom of the previous generation and the old magics of the children, and now, He has the Prophecy Child."

"I'm sorry," said Malfoy.  "I couldn't leave her in the Chamber of Chains."

Samara, thought Harry. He was talking about Samara.  Harry heard the change in the sound of his voice, and for just a moment wondered if Hermione was right.  Perhaps the prat did have some feelings for Samara. 

"I know." Said Snape in the same soft tone, and then Malfoy stomped across the floor, pacing in agitation.

"But Dumbledore believes the children are all useless until Hogwarts has filled their heads with brains," spat Malfoy.  "He believes they only become wizards after their NEWTS.  That somehow, Hogwarts gives them their power."

Harry felt torn.  He wanted to side with Dumbledore, but found he agreed with Malfoy.  It was an unwelcome feeling.

"Don't discount Hogwarts," said Snape.  "It is more than it seems."

Draco laughed shortly.  "I've seen the power of the Chamber of Chains.  I _know_ it's more than it seems.  Dumbledore has the power of Hogwarts.  Voldemort has the power of His legilimency and the Mark, and I've given up the one bit of power I had.  I've been so stupid to lose, my protection so completely—You were right."

"You don't know all that you have gained yet," Snape said, "And you still have your parents' protection. After all, it worked for Harry Potter."

"Ha!  My father and mother won't protect me!'

"You aren't a squib Draco. You are their heir."

"They won't oppose Him."

"I know, but they won't abandon you either."

"Yes, they will." He spat, and the silence stretched, Harry feeling extremely uncomfortable, wanting to leave and yet, somehow compelled to stay, to understand something about his nemesis, but it didn't matter. "Afterwards," he said "The Hogwarts wards are not going to keep me from being _summoned_ back.  Would a secret keeper—"

"No," said Snape, "That wouldn't interfere with his _summons_."

"Summons," muttered Draco with a shiver. He began pacing again. "Then everything we do is for nothing.  I can't hide something of this magnitude from him. He will know I was involved in her rescue, unless Potter can actually kill Him." Draco sighed heavily.  "I can't trust Potter to really follow through though, can I?."  Draco leaned his head against the wall.  "I can't bring myself to actually trust the git.  If I had some sort of assurance--"

"From Potter?" asked Snape.

"No, from Samara," said Draco with a snort. "I can't trust Potter, but Samara is different."

"Be careful," Snape warned.  "You don't know how much of this is preordained."

"That is exactly why she must be released--at least temporarily and even if I am summoned back.  She has to have time to work her magic, and she cannot do that if he has her gripped in the palm of his hand.  Doesn't the prophecy say, whoever holds the prophecy child is will be victorious?  I intend for it to be me.  No one holds her closer than I do."

"True, but you're placing an awful lot of trust in a prophecy, Draco," said Snape.

"No," said Draco. "I'm placing a lot of trust in Samara.  I know her," he continued.  "She's worth my trust."

Snape's voice dropped to a whisper, explaining something to Draco in a hushed tone that Harry couldn't hear. He hesitated only a moment and then used the extendable ears.  

Harry heard Draco ask, "Does Dumbledore know about her and me?"

"What do you think?" Snape replied.

And Draco laughed.  Another silence stretched.  "Do you think Potter still has his mother's protection?" asked Draco.

'No," Snape answered shortly.  "I'm quite sure he does not. Potter has left childhood behind."

"Potter?" snorted Draco.

"There are other things besides virginity that signifies childhood," said Snape shortly.

"How do you know he has left childhood behind?"

"Do you think I should tell you that?"

"Probably not,"  Malfoy had moved toward the door, and Harry wished he had already left.  If Malfoy, walked through the door now, he was caught, and being caught would undermine any trust he and Malfoy had gained.  It was unsettling to think that he was the one to break that trust.  It should have been Malfoy. After all, he was the Slytherin.  Harry could hear Draco's words echoing in his thoughts:  "I can't bring myself to actually trust the git."

_I'm trustworthy,_ thought Harry.  _Right, Harry.  Eves dropping is just the pinnacle of trustworthiness!  Of course, if Draco were trustworthy, I wouldn't be forced to stoop to this level.  You've eves dropped on Dumbledore too, the snide voice of his conscience reminded him._

"About that little outing you are planning," said Snape.  "I believe, you were wondering when the wards were going to be down.  This Wednesday, January 17, at 5:28 pm.  . You won't have very long.  Plan to be out as quickly as you can.  I'll try to give you at least ten minutes."

"Ok—" Draco said hesitantly.  "Thank you, sir."

"And Draco, your Mark won't burn."

"How do you know?"

"Don't ask what you don't need to know—"  Snape growled.

"Right.  That was stupid."  Draco sighed. "Legilimens."

Harry heard the sound of Snape's movement, robes swishing, and then his words, spoken softly, in a tone, Harry had never heard from Snape before. "Draco be careful.  You are walking a narrow road.  You won't have a second chance. Do it right.  And don't leave too much to the Gryfindors." 

"Leave it to them to screw it up," muttered Draco, and Harry clenched his fists in sudden anger. 

Snape lifted his head and looked toward the door.  Raising his voice, he shouted, "If you're going to listen at doors Potter, you have to control your emotions or it's going to bloody well get you and your companions killed."

Harry froze.  Damn it!  This wasn't the first time, Snape had caught him listening to a private conversation.  Of course, the first time,  Dumbledore was really the one who caught him, but what suddenly occurred to Harry was that if both Dumbledore and Snape could 'hear' his emotions through the legilimency, it wasn't a far step to realize that Voldemort should have heard him in the cupboard at the Snow Castle. He should have opened the door and did Avada.  So why had Voldemort missed him?  Probably because he was so preoccupied with Malfoy thought Harry with a shudder.

Draco stood, saying, "I have a meeting with the Gryffindors.  As you see Sir, Potter has come to collect me."  He stopped before he reached the door and Harry moved back.  "Worried about me, Potter?"  asked Draco, slightly amused.

"Not hardly," said Harry, and Draco paused, turning back to Snape.  "Are you sure about the time?" Draco asked.

"Yes."

Draco nodded.  "How do you—" and then he stopped, a smirk appearing on his face as he looked at Severus. "A Slytherin always has a back up plan," he said.

"Yes, he does," replied Snape, and something passed between the two of them, but Harry wasn't sure he understood.

"Really, Potter," Malfoy drawled as he exited the classroom.  "If you keep listening at doors, someone will think you're turning into a Slytherin, and where will the wizarding world be if the boy-who-lived deserts them?"

"The Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin," Harry blurted and immediately regretted it.

"Really?" said Malfoy with a raised eyebrow.  "And I always had a great deal of trust for that Hat."  He seemed to consider for a moment.  "Of course it was Godric's Hat," said Malfoy.  "How many brains could it have?"

His lips curled into a smirk. "Right, Potter," he said.  "You belong in Slytherin and I belong in Hufflepuff."

(A/N:  Poke to fanfic. And all the fics that put Harry in Slytherin and turn Draco into a Hufflepuff.)

Later than day, Harry and Hermione were the first to arrive in the old muggle studies classroom. It was one of the few that opened with a simple _Alohomora_ spell. It was now used for an occasional muggle studies history lesson, but not as a regular classroom, so no teacher had personal effects in the room.  It was outdated, decorated in 1930's style furniture including a sofa, table and several uncomfortable chairs, a gas stove for cooking and a few unlocked cupboards which contained several unmatched china cups without saucers.  There were also many locked cupboards.

Hermione was explaining that she had insisted that Ron give yesterday's homework to Flitwick before he got any further behind.  "After all, how can he expect to get an OWL in Charms if he doesn't do the work, and it is his best subject."

"No it isn't," said Harry.  "Divination is his best subject," and Hermione scoffed before continuing on her tirade as Harry set about making tea on the muggle stove.  "I still can't believe Ron didn't do his homework on the first day back.'  She rolled her eyes.  "I mean, I could almost understand turning it in a day late, but it's almost been a week now!"  She paused.

"Harry," said Hermione.  "What are you doing?"

"Making tea," said Harry, as he used his knife that would open any lock to unlock the muggle cupboards until he found the spoons.

"But why are you making tea?" 

"I'm trying to make this as comfortable as possible, I guess," said Harry. He turned to look at Hermione.   "I'm nervous.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"I told Neville to come," said Harry, biting  his lip.

Hermione took a deep breath, understanding Harry's nervousness. "That's good," she agreed, just as Neville walked in the door.

"Hi," he said hesitantly.  "Are you sure you want me here?"

"Yes!" said Harry and Hermione together.

"Sit down," said Hermione as she began pouring cups of tea and sitting them on the table.  "We're just waiting for the twins and Lauren and Draco.

"Draco's here,"  drawled a soft voice from the doorway.  "So Neville, how's your grandmother?"

Neville jumped to his feet, spilling the freshly poured tea as he yanked his wand from his robe pocket**.  "Furnunculus!"**

Draco blocked.  **"Impedimenta! Sectum!"**

The spell hit Neville's wand arm slicing a fine line the entire length of his forearm, but it wasn't deep and  Neville didn't seem to notice blood began to seep from the scratch, where his cut robe sleeve dangled..

"First blood Longbottom," said Draco "Quit before you get hurt," but Neville screamed at Draco, "Don't you dare ask how my grandmother is when it was _your_ parents who put her there," he shouted. **"Strangulo!"**

Effortlessly, Draco blocked,  laughing he said, I would have expected you to do that one Muggle style Longbottom.  Circling he taunted.  "I don't know why you want to strangle me anyway.    I wasn't there when your grandmother—"

"Why?" interrupted Neville.  "Were you busy killing Harry's family?  Terrorizing Hermione's?"

"Neville!" cried Hermione as Harry attempted to catch Draco's attention, but Draco side- stepped nimbly, his eyes never leaving Neville.

"Neville, that's enough," said Hermione.  "He's helping us save Samara and Ginny."

Neville ignored Hermione, and  Yelled **"Oculis!"** narrowly missing Harry who Draco shoved out of the way of the  blindness spell, growling, "This doesn't concern you, Potter."

Maybe you and V- V- Vold—You-Know-Who were just torturing Ginny and Samara like you tortured Beatrice.  Was that why you weren't at my house?  Neville threw another spell.

Draco blocked.  "You're pitiful Longbottom, just like your parents," drawled Draco.  "You couldn't touch me in a million years.  You're little more than a squib.  You and your whole family—worthless."

"You're the worthless one, Malfoy.  Samara trusted you and you betrayed her!  You don't know what it's like to have a speck of decency in you—"

**"Relashio," **spat Draco, upping the fire of the duel.

Sparks danced over Neville and he brushed frantically at his robe before saying,** "Glacius Flagella!** Your whole family—" he said.

"Leave my family out of it, Longbottom," interrupted  Draco.

"Oh your family is in it--in it from the time they tortured my parents for that '_Devil Snake'"_

Draco froze.  "What did you say?" asked Draco his voice low and dangerous.

"I said your parents are in it--up to their necks."

"No! what did you call Him?  You dare speak that curse again?  I'll kill you for that, Longbottom."

**"Sectum!" **spat Draco viciously.

This time the spell was thrown in earnest and the knife slash would have hit Neville at point blank range if Hermione hadn't dove between them catching the spell on her upper arm, which sliced through muscle and sinew to the bone.  Blood spurted everywhere.

She cried out and Harry caught her, cradling her in his arms.  "Hermione**!  ****Agmen Cogere!"  **said Harry slowing the blood loss.****

"Bloody hell, you, interfering Mudblood," spat Draco.  "Stay out of the way!  Mother turned that curse back on you, Longbottom.  It didn't negate ours, but you should have been a squib too."

"Guess your mother isn't as good as she thought," Neville taunted, eyes narrowing. "But it wasn't a curse.  It was a Seeing."

"It was a curse," hissed Draco.  "It wasn't the seventh generation--"

"Stop! Demanded Harry, but they both ignored him.  Harry wished for Ron's help or the twins--  Surely they should be here soon. 

Draco was in Neville's face, wand held inches from his nose.  Blood had dripped onto the pale green floor from Hermione's arm The bright red drops contrasting with the sickly green linoleum.  Harry had torn off his robe and wrapped it around Hermione's bleeding arm.  She was staring at it, woozy with blood loss and perhaps going into shock.  Harry tried to decide who to help.  Hermione, who needed healing, or Neville, who was also hexed.  Neville tried to bat something away frantically crying before Harry came to his senses and acted, tackling Draco, knocking him to the ground, and breaking his spell and releasing Neville.

It never crossed Harry's mind to use a spell.  He had seen Dudley bullying the neighbor kids in this way too many times and the sight of Malfoy picking on Neville in exactly the same way, broke a cord in him.  He reacted just as he had reacted a dozen times on Privit Drive.

Harry pulled back his fist to punch Draco, but Draco rolled nimbly out of the way, growling, "Get off of me, Potter."

Harry clamored after Draco, grabbing his wand arm as Draco raised his hand for a spell.

You sniveling baby," snorted Draco, eyes still on Neville. "You still have to have Potter fight your battles for you, don't you?  When are you going to grow up?"

"There shouldn't be any battles," said Harry, "We're here for a purpose."  Harry yanked Draco's wand arm, pulling him off balance just as Neville's spell hit.

"Horrifer!" 

Harry shuddered.  He hadn't meant to do that.**  "Finite Incantum,"** said Harry, ending Neville's spell and standing between the two of them, trying to end this.  They switched to insults, which in Harry's mind was better than curses.  He started to relax, hoping they would yell themselves out soon and diffuse the tension.

"You're parents might not be in St. Mungos, Malfoy, but that doesn't make them less insane," panted Neville.  "And what happened to your missing sibling, huh?"

"You know damned well what happened to her!  Growled Draco.

Harry and Hermione both gaped open mouthed as Draco's voice dropped to a deadly whisper.  "Old magic Longbottom.  I wouldn't expect you to recognize it, but that's what it was:  the curse of a desperate dying man using the last resources of his magic. It—was—a—curse."

"My parents aren't dead!" snapped Neville.

 "They—should—be."

Neville's eyes narrowed, and he pointed his wand deliberately.  **"Crucio!"**

Somehow the entire scene seemed unreal to Harry.  Neville attacking Draco?  Although Harry realized with Neville's grandmother in St. Mungos, it did seem as if the boy was at his breaking point. 

Harry raised his own wand,  **"Expellaramus!"** he spat, shaking Neville's wand loose from his grip.  Harry put the wand on the table.  He ran his hand through his already messy hair in exasperation. 

"Draco!"  Lauren rushed through the door and went straight to her cousin.  "What did you bloody Gryffindors do?" she demanded.

"Are we late?" asked Ron as he and the twins peeked in the door.  When he realized Hermione was hurt, he turned his wand on the fallen Draco.

"Don't you dare," said Harry.  "Put your wands over here," he pointed at the table, "Until we have this all sorted out."

The twins joined him at the table, but no one put their wands away.

"Potter,"  rasped Draco.  "No wands--That would put you Gryffindors at a serious disadvantage."  He smirked at Harry and Harry thought how could he be sitting on the floor, downed by _crucio_ and still smirking.  It was a complete mystery to Harry. 

"Speaking of wands," said Draco nastily.  "I think I'll go see Dumbledore.  When he checks your wand, Longbottom, he'll call the aurors and  they can cart you away to Azkaban, and good riddance."

Neville seemed to just realize that he had cast an unforgivable curse.  His face went pasty white, and he started to shake.

"It's not like you've never seen an unforgivable, Malfoy" said Harry, thinking of the Gryffindor Common room on Halloween.  There were so many laws broken, Harry had begun to think the Slytherins thought they were a law unto themselves.

"But not by a Gryffindor, and not with a wand," said Draco with a slight shrug.  "It's not my fault if Dumbledore checks and sends him off.  At the very least, he should get expelled."

Neville sobbed.

"Are we to understand that Neville did an unforgivable curse on Malfoy?" asked George in amazement.

"Awesome," said Fred.

"Fred this is nothing to joke about," said Hermione as she struggled to her feet and tried to comfort Neville, sinking down beside him.. 

"Hermione, you've bleeding," said Ron.  "We should get you  to Madam Pomfrey."

"And tell her what?" asked Lauren, blocking the way, and then setting locking charms on the door.  "That Draco cursed her? No.  You aren't going."

"Bloody hell, Avery. She needs medical attention.  What were you doing Malfoy?  It's lucky that curse didn't hit her throat.  She'd be dead."

"She just got in the way.  Sorry Mu—Granger," said Draco tiredly. "If you'd learn to mind your own business—"

"If you'd learn to control your tongue," countered Hermione.

"I have perfect control, Mudblood," Draco growled.  "You were in the way."

"Come on," said Ron, trying to get Hermione to her feet.

"She won't die," said Lauren.  "Just get the bleeding stopped."

"All I did was ask after his Grandmother," muttered Draco

"It was the _way_ you asked," said Harry.

"Merlin, Potter," said Draco.  "That's the way I talk, and I'll be damned if I'm going to start talking like a lowlife to please you."

"OK, OK," said Lauren.  "Let's just let it drop. Are you OK, Draco?"

"Yeah," said Draco. "Pitiful really," he muttered. "He might be able to hold his own with Nott--

Lauren glared at him.

"Without the box," Draco clarified, and Lauren flinched.  "or Crabbe," Draco continued. "but anyone else, forget it.  Of course for a first timer,  not bad— Just-- Don't think you won, Longbottom.  We're done for now, but don't think you've won, because you didn't.

"Malfoy—" Began Neville.. He looked away and then back at Draco's stormy gray eyes. "I'm—sorry."

"I'm not," said Draco succinctly. "I meant every word I said, and every spell," Draco commented venom dripping from each word.

Neville clenched his wand, glaring at Draco.

"Look, that isn't helping," said Lauren.  "Whatever was said, it's over now.  Let's pick up the pieces and  take it from here.  We're supposed to be working together, so as a gesture of goodwill, Longbottom, I'm going to save your ass."

"What do you mean," muttered Neville whose eyes were drooping with exhaustion. 

"Snap out of it," Lauren demanded, smacking Neville's cheeks rather ungently "I know you're tired, but you can't go to sleep yet.  My Dad says only ten percent of witches and wizards can do more than four major spells like _Avada _and _Curcio _without taking a rest and recovering their magic."

"Four—" said Neville.

"Of course it's not as debilitating to throw the curse as it is to be the recipient of it, but until you build up your power, but the first time is always the worst.  It takes everything out of you.. It is the same with the first time throwing any major curse: major exhaustion.  It gets better though the next time," Lauren said with a grin.

"Next time," interrupted Hermione aghast. "You've done this haven't you?"

"Now the first thing you need to do," Lauren continued, ignoring Hermione, "is a hundred spells with that wand. You can't remove the spell from your wand, but you can bury it in mediocrity.  Ninety nine percent of the time, that will be enough. Fifty-two percent summoning and banishing, eighteen percent cleaning spells--"

"Eighteen percent?" said Hermione.  "Ninety- nine?  How do you know this?"

"My Dad worked out the numbers for the Dark Lord," said Lauren finally answering Hermione..  The aurors have only checked more than one hundred spells three times in the last fifty years of history:  "my mother," said Lauren and Draco together.

The two of them grinned at each other as if that was an accomplishment, and then Lauren continued, and "Valeriana Lestrange."  Before that, in the previous fifty years, there was only Grindlewald.  You're pretty safe with a hundred spells, Longbottom."

"But I can't do a hundred spells," said Neville.

"They never checked Carman?" asked Draco with a frown.

"Draco," said Lauren.  "In the fourties?  You couldn't expect a fragile woman to do a spell as debilitating as _curcio_."

Draco snorted.  "Carman fragile?"

"I can't do a hundred spells," said Neville again.  "I doubt if I could do one, the way I feel."

"That's why you need someone to help you recover your magic, and unfortunately, it looks like it's going to have to be me for both of you," said Lauren.  She looked from Draco to Neville, and then to the Gryffindors.  "None of you can do Elemental magic, can you?

"Yes," said Fred.

"As a matter of fact we can," said George.

"Oh, you Gryffindors are full of surprises today," said Lauren.

"I can too," said Hermione. 

Lauren's mouth fell open in surprise, and Malfoy gave a bark of laughter.  "You, Mudblood?  I saw your version of wandless magic.  It's pitiful, and it's not Elemental. 

"OK, we'll go with Fred and George then," said Lauren. "Watch what I do with Draco."

"I'm alright, Lauren," protested Draco. 

"Right," she spat. "That's why you're still sitting on the floor."

"I said, I'm fine," Draco growled.

Lauren rolled her eyes.

"I am fine," insisted Draco. "I just have grown accustomed to having Samara nearby to heal me after His _crucios_. You know healing is one of the gifts of the Prophecy Child. I've lost a little endurance, that's all. If I absolutely had to return a spell, I could do it."

"You're so spoiled," said Lauren laying her hands on Draco, nonetheless.  He closed his eyes letting her magic course through him. 

When he opened them again, he asked, "Why didn't you heal Longbottom?"

Lauren wrinkled her nose in distaste.  "Please," she muttered.  "Let the Gryffindors do it.  I'm not _that_ altruistic."  She raised her voice.  "Fred and George, your magics are complementary.  Twins always are.  You two can feed Neville some of your magic and help him do the spells without exhausting either of you."

Fred and George nodded their agreement and moved to help Neville.

"Fred has always been the stronger wizard," said George.  "Should he help Neville and I support him?"

"It doesn't matter," said Lauren.  "You can share magic through Neville.  A twin bond allows a lot more manipulation of the magic than simple siblings.  The only thing stronger is—a shared life bond—and not many wizards and witches are strong enough to  sustain that."

  While she was working, Harry had meticulously knitted up Hermione's wounded arm.  "I think he did as good a job as Madam Pomfrey," said Hermione in amazement.  "It doesn't hurt at all."

"And there's no scar," said Lauren. "With a _sectum_ that deep, there's usually a scar for a week or so—and it's always stiff—"

"It's fine," said Hermione, flexing her arm to illustrate.

"Remind me to come and see you Harry, next time Millicent gets her claws in me," said Lauren.

"OK," said Harry hesitantly.  "I'd do my best."

Lauren sighed. "Let's get back to the job we came here to do," she suggested, while glancing at Neville who was now on spell number 56 and following Fred's coaching rather well, as George's magic kept him upright.

"We'll catch them up," said Hermione, as she followed Lauren's gaze.

Draco had picked himself off of the floor and was looking like his normal jaunty self, no worse for the _curcio_ that had downed him a few minutes ago.

"Was that a glamour?"  Ron asked him.  "Draco, did you just do a glamour on yourself?"

"Shut up, Weasel, or you're going to need a glamour," said Draco testily.

Apparently Ron was the only one who saw the spell take effect, but it seemed unavoidable.  No one came through a _curcio_, no matter how ineffectual with no visual effects. Harry realized that Draco had to have done a glamour charm, but Draco moved on as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  His customary smirk was back in place.  "Actually," he confided, "Longbottom didn't do half bad.  No broken bones.  No mess.  Do you remember Lauren, the first time Samara did curcio we were cleaning up blood for week?"

The Griffindors just stared open mouthed.

"What about you, Draco?" said Lauren.  "I remember your first—"

"Back to work," Draco interrupted.  "We have a new plan.  We can go at 5:28 this Wednesday, but this could get a little sticky," said Draco. "I mean, I don't think the Dark Lord is just going to let us waltz in and take them, and I know the prophecy says it's either you or Him, Potter, but Snape says your wand won't duel his—"  Draco's voice trailed off, the rest of his sentence almost inaudible, "and plus there is the problem of my getting called back."

"Always knew you were a coward, Malfoy," said Ron and Draco glared at him, but for once didn't draw his wand or contradict him.  Harry felt his own stomach clench with the insult. 

"Draco," said Harry.  "The Prophecy says either I die or Voldemort dies.  I can't make any promises, but if I don't have to fight a slew of Death Eaters first—" 

"You got balls, Potter," said Draco.  "I've got to give you that.  Not much brains, but balls. So what are you going to use for a wand?"

"I've got it under control," said Harry.  "I just need to know that you're committed to getting the girls out, no matter what," said Harry his eyes intense, as he extended his hand to Draco.

"Hey, Harry," interrupted Ron. "I can get the girls out."

"And working with Ron," added Harry as Draco clasped his hand

"You drive a hard bargain, Potter.  Next you'll be telling me I have to take the—Granger's advice."

"Couldn't hurt," said Harry and Draco grimaced.

"Draco," said Hermione..  "Are you sure about the date.  How do you know it's the best time?"

"Snape told me," Draco answered, and Harry confirmed that Snape seemed to know about their rescue plans.

"Snape? Oh, that just gives me warm fuzzies," said Ron.

Both Draco and Lauren sniggered.  It was almost a laugh, thought Harry.  "Do you think that means that Dumbledore knows?" Harry asked.

"No," said Draco, his face immediately back into it's calm mask..  "We are his back up plan."

"Snapes'?" asked Ron.  "Not Dumbledore's?"

"Ha!" Draco snorted with disgust as they parted ways, Draco heading down to the Dungeons and the Gryffindors turning toward the stairs.   "A Gryffindor?  Have a plan?"

Ron pulled his wand, but Harry put his hand on Ron's.  It didn't seem very sporting to allow his friend to curse Draco when he knew he hadn't yet recovered from Neville's curse.

After Draco was out of sight, Hermione asked,  "So what's his first plan?"

"And what are you going to use for a wand, Harry?" Ron wondered.

"I--I'm not sure, yet."

"So what are you going to do?" persisted Hermione. 

"I'm going to kill Voldemort, and get the girls back," said Harry with a determined edge to his voice, "and Merlin help anyone who gets in my way." 

** == **

**Answers to Reviews:**

Ammarine:  Glad you liked.  I like Volde's nasty side too, but that's just me…More fun, nasty Volde on the way.

Shelby:  I wrote most of the book when I was fourteen.  I just turned fifteen on May 4th.  Same date as the Lestrange twins.  LOL. Glad you like it.

Akiel:  Blocks Imperio.  No, sorry I won't be posting seven chapters at once.  I am lucky to be posting this one.  My grandparents are living with us temporarily. They are moving into a modular home on our property and it isn't done yet.  Anyway, grandma and grandpa insist that I need more sun and fresh air.  "No!  No!  mustn't leave my computer.  Pleeeeeze.  I'm doing the best I can and hope I won't be late to update for you guys.  Some of you review so faithfully and I am grateful for you.

Harpy:  Thanks.  Can I have a feather for my wand, Harpy?

Ennui deMorte:  Amazing you like something about Draco.  What a surprise.  And yes, I like the basilisks too.  Thank you for your awesome betaing.  Appreciate you bunches.

GreenBizkit:  Well, I hope you read chapter 2.  How could you stop so soon.  Sigh.

Elbereth:  Clueless Harry.  Just trying to keep him in character.  Isn't that the way JK wrote him?   It bugs you that the Gryffindors have a "we 've got  to go rescue the girls and be heroes mentality"  ??  Wait.  Doesn't that define Gryffindor?  And yes, Ginny does have quite a bit of Darkness in her head.  More Tom coming.  I promise.  I had to make you beg didn't I?  After all, I am a Slytherin.

Funnybunny  I like long stories.  I hope you do to, but if you want, I do have some short ones.

Batty:  thanks

Rosewhip2:  Glad you like.

Trillium:  A new favorite ending?  Yes, I do like Narcissa in this one.

Black-Skylark.  Thanks for the review.

Christina:  Thanks for the long review.  JK WAS being a smart ass by making Avada kadavra sound like Abbra Kadabbra.  I can't wait till Hermione has to say it with a straight face to Moody in the Movie.  That should be fun.  Anyway, so you sound like both Snape and Harry Potter.  That's a weird combination.  And no the girls aren't the type to need rescuing.  The rescue chapter is rather fun I think.  Can't wait to show it to you so please review soon.

Volde's Pink Teddy:  OK "The Darklord's Secret Love" is by what author?  I couldn't find it.  There, now I'm a walking advertisement too.

The Elemental Sorceress:  Happy Birthday.  I updated just for your present.  LOL

Jager:  Please let me know where you are confused and I will try to fix that part.  

XMuted-Faithx  Thank you for your review.

Silverfox1:  Thanks for the review.  Narcissa tries.

Kemenran:  More please is here.

NOW EVERYONE PLEASE GO AND REVIEW. 

Then go to the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth and discuss the chapter with our faithful family of reviewers.  See if you can guess where the book is going.  Decide whether or not Snape is faithful to the Dark Lord or to Dumbledore.  What is his back up plan?  What is his first plan?  There is lots of fun discussion.  Don't miss it.  Go to yahoo groups,  TheSeersTruth.  That's 

Lady Lestrange

P.S.  Be patient with me.  I'm not going to be online as much as usual these next two weeks until my grandparents get into their new house.  I'll be getting lots of fresh air!


	22. CH 22: Riddles in the Dark

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Riddles in the Dark**

Thank you to my faithful and hardworking beta, ennui deMorte

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

**Disclaimer**: The Harry Potter characters and the previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this fanfic. Thanks JK

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point**: Althernate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio try to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio work out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

Riddles in the Dark 

Life at the Snow Castle was much different than Samara would have imagined. From her Gryffindor indoctrination she would have assumed that Voldemort sat around all day thinking of evil things to do to aurors or acting on those thoughts. Instead, the Snow Castle had an atmosphere of contained caring. Samara couldn't call it love, but the ability to work together was paramount. A loose sort of discipline ruled most of the time. All were daily assigned tasks to complete, which the Adult Death Eaters who lived at the castle supervised and many of the older children took pride in helping the younger ones. Sometimes a younger one was held up as an example to emulate, and the older ones were shamed into doing better.

Evenings were spent, not planning Dumbledore's downfall, as she had supposed but in games like Quit and Apparition Tag, and about a dozen others, including mock duels and pranks. Sometimes they went outside to play in the snow with skating and skiing and mock snowball battles that usually turned into cursing duels. Voldemort said the physical activity would keep them fit, but he was not beyond putting up wards and puzzles so they had to struggle to get back inside either.

Perhaps the adults planned Dumbledore's downfall, thought Samara, but if they did, Samara heard nothing of it. However, the games had a darker side, because the consequences for losing were usually severe. Nonetheless, they were just games, and everyone played. Magic was everywhere and everyone was urged to be all they could be in a very literal sense. In magic, nothing was denied. Everything was at risk.

Lessons were hard, but no one was ever punished for accidental magic. However, they were made to control it, which sometimes was indistinguishable from punishment. They were never told things were impossible or out of reach. You were expected to rule your own destiny. Mantras that circled the Snow Castle were "wish it real" or "make it so" or "if you want it bad enough, it's yours." The only thing truly frowned upon was leaving a task unfinished, and if it was His assigned task it was punishable to fail or to abandon it. Failure was simply unacceptable. Sometimes the punishment was death. Samara shivered thinking of some of the harsher punishments meted out. That was always done in the Circle, unless Voldemort thought that the Death Eater merited the dungeon. Samara closed her eyes, and took a deep breath trying not to remember her stint to the dungeon, even though she was only a visitor and not an occupant. In any case, the humiliation and the pain was public, but then, so was the praise. Nonetheless, she hated the Circle. She hated it almost as much as the dungeon. She hated his dispensing joy, like a drug almost as much as she hated the screams of the crucioed. The joy seemed more insidious.

Ginny agreed with her, but she went to the Circle anyway.

"I can't defy him," said Ginny. She closed her eyes. "All I can think of when he calls is ending the pain of the Mark and once I'm in the Circle all I want is to avoid notice—not get _crucioed_." She whispered. "Sometimes I think the Hat should have put me in Hufflepuff. I don't have a shred of bravery."

"Everyone avoids pain," said Samara. "You should have left long ago—gone back to Hogwarts with the others. He would have left you go, if you had asked. You came to him willingly. You have the Mark. There's nothing to keep you here."

Ginny shook her head. "How can you say that? I can't leave you! He knows I have—reservations---about his methods and I couldn't ask him to leave. I wasn't going to leave you here alone, anyway. I would never do that."

Samara sighed. They had had this conversation before. It solved nothing. "Has he asked you about the emerald lately?"

"No," said Ginny, shaking her head worriedly. "He seems distracted. He talks a lot to the adults." She shrugged. "Sometimes it's just boring, but something is coming. He said—" Ginny paused considering.

"Well, what is it?" Samara urged.

"He said, that whether my family lives or dies lies in my hands." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "He wants me to accompany them."

Samara stared at her. "You're going?"

Ginny nodded. "I told him yes. What else could I do? You know he'll kill them." She stood, pacing the room and quoting Voldemort. "He said, '_Dragons are such dangerous creatures. An accident could happen any time. Any time at all._ And then he talked about the Goblins," he said, "_and these days, the Goblins aren't reliable. They are really stupid creatures. Good with figures, but lousy with strategy_, _and innately vicious._ They tore Dakon Gar to shreds, Samara. Do you remember that? It was in _The Prophet_."

Samara nodded.

"He—He planned that. He told me, '_Know this: Dakon Gar thought he could oppose me. Instead, his own people ripped him to shreds; their punishment for a traitor. You could oppose me, Virginia, but I don't think you would like the cost of that action. Tell me, what is your people's punishment for being a Death Eater?'_ Oh Samara, what else could I do? Even under veritaserium, I'd have to admit I got the Mark willingly."

"Stupidly, but willingly," Tom agreed.

"I have to go with them!" said Ginny. "I wish I could find some way to keep them safe, especially tomorrow." As she put her head in her hands, the comb that she wore in her hair came loose and clattered to the ground, leaving her hair handing in limp stands around her face.

"I have an idea," said Samara.

==

He called the Inner Circle to the Antechamber of his Great Hall once again and surveyed his finest: Carman, Narcissa, Valerianna, Severus, Lucius, Marshall. There was a space where Darneil Semenik should stand, but he would come later since he was currently masquerading as the Auror, Sturgis Podmore. The Circle continued with Eldon Nott, Eithne Edgecomb, Walden McNair, Owen Pritchard Sr., and Cornelius Fudge. He called the children: Draco, Ethan, Edward, Virginia, Alvin, Owen Pritchard, Millicent Bulstrode, Maura Rosier, Gloria Snood, and Darchelle Desideria.

Samara didn't come. Voldemort clenched his hands over his magic in anger. She thought she could defy him with impunity. She thought her status as the possible Prophecy Child would keep her from harm, but Draco was a wedge that he could use to control her. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind as he moved forward displaying the tedious plans to his Death Eaters. The event was almost upon them, one more day of patience and the world would be aware of his supremacy. This time, he wanted nothing to interfere with his plans, least of all Dumbledore, he thought, his face creasing into a smirk as he looked at Severus Snape.

Each of his Inner Circle Death Eaters had a contingent of wizards and witches to control or a job to do or both. This would not work unless the timing was perfect. It would not work if they failed to perform their assigned tasks. It would not work if they were not a fluid organism working together, and he had waited too long for anything to interfere with his plans. He dealt with any dissention immediately and ruthlessly. Any Death Eater who so much as breathed a word of question was summarily cut down. Several were in his dungeon awaiting his wrath, but he had no time to play with them now. He had to secure his basilisks.

The time had come, but Draco was in the way, and yet Draco was crucial to Samara's usefulness. A quick and neat _Avada_ would not solve that problem. He looked at Draco who was loitering nearby. The meeting was over, and Draco could have Apparated back to Hogwarts but he didn't. He stood, exchanging pleasantries with Virginia Weasley, and would have walked from the Hall with her. Voldemort knew that he was intending to visit Samara. _Not now,_ thought Voldemort. _Not tonight. She will not come to me. You shall not go to her._

"Draco Malfoy," called Lord Voldemort and the boy froze, immediately his pulse rose. Like all the Death Eaters, he realized that being called out was not usually a good thing.

"My Lord?" replied the boy, turning and lowering his gaze.

"You remember Arvil Folant from your visit to the dungeon two days ago, do you not?"

"Yes, Master."

"Folant has his doubts about the effectiveness of children in my Circle," said Voldemort. "As one of the new inner circle children, I thought you might have something to say on the subject. Especially since you visited him with your father."

Ginny began to slip from the Hall, but Voldemort detained her with a hissed word of parseltongue, "{Stay!}"

"I have no real feeling on the subject," said Draco coolly. "But if you have an order, Master, I will fulfill it."

"I do not have an order," said Voldemort. "Only a request, for both of you."

"Yes, Master," said Draco, but Voldemort reached out to Ginny. "I have not visited with your little one in quite some time," he said, as he drew his finger along Visha's length.

Ginny said nothing, but Visha slithered under the collar of Ginny's robe. "Are you stupid, girl?" he snapped. "Remove the basilisk from your neck."

"Yes—Of course," she said, pulling Visha from her neck and hissing, "{Go with Cilicia, Zissi and Cush's Master. Stay with Bitemates.} I've just—I've never been without her since you gave her to me. I just wasn't thinking—"

"I can see you weren't thinking," said Voldemort coldly.

Draco sniggered softly, unwilling to interrupt, he stood silently watching.

"{Visha must protect Mistress,}" insisted the basilisk

"{I will be alright. It won't be long,}" Ginny reassured the basilisk, but her hand went to the bareness at her neck, as Voldemort settled Visha at his wrist.

"It might do you well to feel the emptiness at your neck," he said as he reached out a long finger, drawing it along the neck edge of her robe. "To remember your loyalties, especially now.."

"I remember my loyalties," Ginny said softly, a tremor in her voice and a glazed look in her eye.

There were times when he was convinced that the girl was half mad, but he still could not read her thoughts. He could never read her thoughts, and that made her a puzzle. He pulled her to him and pushed up the robe sleeve exposing her left forearm. She tensed.

"Do you expect pain?" he asked with a small smile. "Then perhaps you have not done what I asked of you?"

"I can't," she whispered. "The emerald is at Hogwarts. You know the emerald is somewhere at Hogwarts and it has to be given to me. I cannot find it here. Let me go back," she said impassionedly. "Let me go back and I will look for it."

"All in good time," he said. "You have a task to do for me before you can leave."

"I know," she said miserably. "How can you ask me to—"

"Do it well, and you will be rewarded."

"May I leave?"

"Do you want to?"

He passed his hand over the Mark filling it with joy and she sucked in her breath, melting against him and uttering a single word, "Tom!"

Instead of punishing her for calling him the Muggle name, he changed for her, using his transfiguration abilities to make his physical appearance as it had been when he was sixteen, and for a moment, she leaned into him. He waited for her thoughts to soften, to allow him in, but instead she placed her hands against his chest and pushed away, saying roughly. "No, Tom. Keep your appearance. I –I want to see you as you truly are—" her words were filled with tears.

"I don't believe you," he said coolly, and a flicker of fear passed over her face before it became blank again. Unfortunately, he had no idea what she was thinking.

_And Tom was unaccountably silent, offering neither jeers nor scorn._

"Your assessement, Tom?" Salazar asked, but Tom seemed distracted. "Tom?"

_"You expect me to help you?" asked Tom incredulous." _

Frustrated, Salazar waited for her soul to come back to her eyes before he pushed his finger against her Dark Mark saying, "Virginia, you have felt the joy of doing a task well. Now feel the pain of failure. Your choice," he said. He held the pain while she struggled and Visha and the other basilisks hissed madly, arguing among themselves. Eventually Ginny passed out to escape from the pain. He dropped her on the floor and Visha attempted to crawl off of his arm. "{She said you were to stay with your bitemates,}" Voldemort reminded the basilisk, grasping it firmly behind the head.

"{You hurt Mistress,}" complained the basilisk. "(You shall not hurt Mistress.)"

"{She will be alright,}" Voldemort assured her, and Visha remembered what Mistress had said: _"{It will be alright.}"_

Visha hesitated, uncertain. At last, the basilisk gave in, settling on Voldemort's arm. As soon as Visha showed that she would stay with him, Voldemort was satisfied. "{Stay with your mistress,}" he said putting the basilisk back around Ginny's neck. "{Protect her until she wakes.}"

After the basilisks calmed down, Voldemort turned to Draco. "Come. I want you to perform a spell for me, if you don't find it too difficult."

Draco snorted. "Yes, Master," he said quickly.

Voldemort smiled as Draco followed him to the dungeon.

"You remember Arvil Folant," said Voldemort. "This is what happens to Death Eaters who displease me."

Draco looked at Folant. The man was shaking and he had already endured several _Crucios_. Although Draco had no problem using _Crucio_ where it was useful, he felt no real animosity towards this Death Eater. Besides, he feared that his _Crucio_ would lack power due to his lack of interest in hurting the man.

"Folant has asked to be released from his vow," said Voldemort.

He watched the boy's eyes closely as he said the words. He wanted very much to touch him, but knew from experience that doing that would bring up Draco's guard.

His eyes sparkled with something like anticipation as he frowned and whispered, "Released?" and then as cold reality was understood, hope died in them. Draco raised his inquiring gray eyes to Voldemort's red ones. "Can you—would you—do that? Release him—or do you mean _kill _him?"

Voldemort smiled. "There is a way he can be released," said Voldemort.

"_Avada_?" said Draco.

"Oh, no, no, no. Nothing so crude," said Voldemort. "I would do the spell, but I do not have the time or patience for it just now. Perhaps you do?" Voldemort gave into to the temptation and reached out, touching the boy's cheek. The thoughts were studiously mundane. _What else would I have to do, but serve you? Playing Quidditch and Quit and Exploding Snap_—childish thoughts that gave nothing away of his real feelings, and Voldemort pulled his hand away, disappointed. He shouldn't have that much control yet, unless he had been tutored in Occllumency or it was some kind of shield, which perhaps the Prophecy Child gave him, if it was indeed Samara and not Ginny.

Draco stood silently betraying nothing. "How can I serve you, Master?" he asked at last and Voldemort's smile widened to a smirk. He saw definite signs of Lucius self-preservation in this boy. This should be amusing. "It's a tedious task," warned Voldemort, "and one that, once begun, must be finished."

"Tell me what to do," said Draco.

Voldemort sighed. "Folant may be right. You may be too young to control this spell."

"My control is impeccable," said Draco. "According to my mother," he added as an afterthought.

"Your arm," said Voldemort to the Death Eater and, whimpering, Arvil Folant extended his left arm.

"Please," he begged incoherently. "Please Master. Punish me as you will, but I have a wife, a child—" The man was babbling.

Voldemort gave no outward sign that he heard Folant, but he did note the existence of both the wife and the child. They may be useful.

"With an artist's precision," Voldemort told Draco, "you must trace the fire elemental over his Dark Mark. If you are sloppy, he will die in the process and I will be-- displeased."

"Over his Dark Mark—that is the whole spell? That's it?"

"Yes. Over every line, every scale, every bit of bone in the skull. Nothing must be missed and once started, you cannot stop or the spell will be void. If you cast the spell completely—correctly—I will know that I choose correctly when I put you into my Inner Circle."

"Yes, Master," said Draco. "And this will—" Draco hesitated, unwilling to finish the thought.

"Free him from my service," said Voldemort enigmatically.

"Master," sobbed the man. "I do not want my freedom. I only want to serve you! Please!"

**_"Mutus!"_** spat Voldemort impatiently.

Draco nodded. "Yes, Master," he said again, meekly, but not before Voldemort caught the flash of elation: there was a way to be freed from the Dark Mark. The emotions were too great for Draco to hide them.

Voldemort caught the boy's chin in his hand. "You don't want to leave me, do you?"

"To whom would I go?" asked Draco softly.

"Good," said Voldemort, feeling Draco's sincerity even amidst his confusion. He wanted very much to know how loyal Draco really was, but knew that to probe his mind at this point would be to lose him, and Voldemort did not want to lose him, at least not until he Marked Samara. "You are a powerful wizard," Voldemort said. "I would hate to see you discontented. Are you enjoying the _gift_ I gave you?"

Draco hesitated ever so little and Voldemort could feel his embarrassment although there was no outward sign of it.

"She is very—nice," said Draco of the Muggle girl he had been given. Unbidden, his thoughts went to the first time he had really kissed Samara: "_You kiss like a Muggle," he had said. "Oh and you've kissed one of those?" she replied. "No. Yuck."_ He pushed the thoughts firmly to the back of his mind, determined to keep what was private, private. "Samara has been teaching her English," he said and, to cover his thoughts of disgust from Voldemort, he let thoughts of Samara fill his mind.

"I see," said Voldemort, not entirely pleased with that line of events. He continued calmly, "You know, Draco, you do not need Samara to be a great wizard."

Draco said nothing, but the words were clear in his head. _Neither do you. _A moment later, realizing his mistake, his mind snapped closed

"We will speak of this again," Voldemort said, releasing the _mutus _spell on the man and nonchalantly casting _Crucio_, "when you are done with your task. Let me see you begin." He gestured to the shuddering, sobbing man on the chair, whose arm was stretched out in front of Draco.

Draco gathered a strand of the Fire Elemental and held it between his fingers concentrating until the strand was fine as silk and sharp as a razor. Then he began the task of tracing the markings of the Dark Mark. Each line as he touched it turned like liquid silver and the man screamed, twitching in pain and jerking his arm.

Draco reached for his wand left handed as he honed the Fire Elemental in his right. **_"Adhere!"_** he said and the man's arm was stuck fast to the arm of the chair. Draco continued to work, the bubbling flesh causing him to have to stop several times and study the pattern while the man screamed.

"You work carefully," Voldemort observed, and Draco looked up, pausing in his work.

"Don't stop," Voldemort warned and Draco continued, the man screaming and writhing the whole time, the magic of this spell obviously not contained to the Mark itself.

"Here," Voldemort advised, "if the skin becomes too puckered to see, use Elemental Water to cool it." Voldemort sent a blast of the Elemental water through the man's arm and he fainted.

_"**Ennervate!**"_ said Voldemort.

"Bastard," breathed the man. "You wretched snake bastard!" He gathered saliva in his mouth and spat it at Voldemort, but Voldemort waved the spittle away as if it was an annoying bug, and it returned to the man, dribbling it down his cheek.

"See that he stays awake for the process. I want to be sure he feels this," Voldemort said coldly. "If the screaming starts to get tiresome, you can always mute him. Of course, you may enjoy the screaming. Some people do," said Voldemort.

"I feel your power in the Mark," said Draco. "Drawing me into it."

"Yes," said Voldemort, "that is what you should feel. Your Intent should be to pull that power through you, back to me. Essentially, you are pulling the magic that is mine, through you, and giving it back to me through your own Mark. The magic wants to stay where it is and draw you to it. That's the challenge."

"I understand," said Draco.

"When you are finished," said Voldemort, "touch your wand to your Mark and let me know. I will be meeting with—another Death Eater until then."

"Yes, Master."

"Good bye, Folant," said Voldemort, cupping the man's chin in his hands and looking steadily into his eyes. Then, with a slight smile, Voldemort left the room

One hour later, Draco discovered that a very cold Water Elemental made the skin easier to work with and darkened the lines of the Dark Mark

Two hours later, Draco discovered how to continuously flood the area with ice water from his left hand while working on the Fire Elemental in his right hand. The only time he had felt them simultaneously was in the Chamber of Forever, and he had to wonder what Samara would think of working with both simultaneously.

Arvil Folant thought that it was a miracle. He had stopped screaming and began to talk to Draco about his family in Surrey. His daughter was only nine. "Blonde like you," said Arvil, "with eyes as blue as the ocean." But Draco didn't comment. The man seemed content to talk about the gardens around his home and how his parents had pushed him into being a Death Eater. How he never thought children belonged in the circle.

Draco let the Water Elemental slow to a trickle and dug for the magic in the man's Mark.

He howled with sudden pain.

"You owe a child your freedom today," said Draco, an edge to his voice.

"I will die," said the Death Eater.

Draco shook his head. "He would have killed you himself. He enjoys it too much to give it up, especially to me."

"He has a reason," said Arvil.

Draco was silent, concentrating on a particularly intricate part of the design.

"Do you want to kill?" asked the man. "You are only a child, but he has coerced so many children into his Circle. How do they know what they want?" the man mused.

"I know what I want," Draco replied coldly and the man closed his mouth.

"I've offended you," said Arvil at last.

"Not in the least," said Draco. "But not all children are as indecisive as you obviously were at fifteen. Look at the Dark Lord. At sixteen, he certainly knew what he wanted from life."

"Yes," said Arvil softly.

"And so do I."

Arvil said nothing.

"Almost done," said Draco wearily. "You're almost free: a bit more around the serpent's face and the fangs."

As Draco made the last mark, the man began to twitch and moan. At first, Draco thought it was just the end of the spell, the Dark Mark being seared off. He didn't, for a moment, suppose that the process would be painless, but when he looked at the Mark he realized it was not diminishing. It was growing. The snake in the skull was writhing and growing under the man's skin. It almost looked like a real snake, pulling the ink and the magic together under the skin.

Arvil began to scream and his screams rose to a tortured shriek and finally he found words, desperate words, repeated over and over again. "Kill me! Kill me! _KILL ME!"_

And Draco pulled his wand, poised to do _Avada Kedavra_, but something stopped him. Perhaps it was the fear that Voldemort had implied that he would not use _Avada _on the man. Perhaps it was the fascination he had observing the process of the spell or perhaps it was just fate, but whatever it was, Draco just stood and watched the skin and muscle melt from the man's bones devoured somehow by the snake of his Mark.

At last he stopped screaming when nothing was left but a skeleton and out of the man's mouth crawled a small green snake.

Draco felt somewhat nauseous as he watched the snake inch its way out of the skeleton. He had handled Samara's basilisks so often that, without thinking at all, he reached down and picked up the snake. In his hands, it seemed to dissolve into a handful of sparkles like pixie dust and the dust settled around his own Dark Mark with a soft tickling feeling. He felt the magic of the dead man settle into his own arm, hovering around his Mark in a silent orbit. The rush of power made him suck in his breath, the nausea completely gone. _It felt so good as the power passed through him to Voldemort!_ He wanted to shout with the glory of it. _It felt like—it felt like another wizard's magic—like Aislinn._ Draco swallowed hard, the bitter taste filling him as he smoothed his somewhat untidy hair.

_What did I do?_ Draco thought worriedly. He was appalled that he took pleasure in the feeling, that he had done essentially the same thing as his parents had done with Aislinn. He took several deep breaths trying to compose himself. _I have just killed a wizard. My first wizard,_ he thought, silently vowing there would not be another, and then, realizing what a stupid promise that was, he used a charm to settle his shaking stomach and clean his hands.

_Get a hold of yourself, Draco Malfoy_, he told himself, and yet he couldn't. Another thought kept running through his mind. Aislinn, a squib felt infinitely more like a wizard's life force than a muggles', and yet his parents had said she was not a wizard, but now he knew. She felt like a wizard. She couldn't use magic but she had to have it or the sacrifice would be useless. So what was Arvil Folant's sacrifice for? Draco pushed the doubts away.

_Arvil Folant would have died whether you were party to it or not. At least you figured out a way to limit his suffering. It was better that you did it than Voldemort. He definitely suffered less at your hands. Oh, hell!_ Draco thought of his father telling him_, Aislinn would not want to live that way, with no magic, so it was OK to kill her. _Arvil knew that he would die before Draco came into the room. Voldemort had decided. _Draco tried to convince himself that it was OK to kill him._ He put his head against the wall and struggled not to be sick. Apparently his anti-nausea spell was not strong enough. He cast it again.

After a few moments of looking at the pure white skeleton that, only moments ago, was Arvil Folant, Draco had replaced his cool mask of indifference, and cleaned the sweat from his robes. He put his wand to his Mark as instructed by Voldemort.

Now that his attention was not consumed by the spell, he realized something was wrong. _Samara!_ He felt her essence surrounded by Dark Magic, and he remembered Arvil's words. _"I will die-- He has a reason—"_

_Well_, thought Draco, _Voldemort said to touch his wand to his Mark. He did not say he had to wait until Voldemort came._ On shaking legs, Draco hurried out of the room toward Samara's room. He tried not to panic. Something was very wrong

(A/N: Just to let you know, I thought about cutting the chapter here, but that would have been just too evil even for me. That's why it took me an extra day to get it updated. Now, I was nice. I expect payback. Remember to REVIEW.. The next chapter has three places where I could cut it and leave you at very evil cliff-hangers. You have been warned.--LL)

Voldemort paused at Samara's door. She was the only one sleeping in this room now due to the fact that she carried seven of His basilisks which made most potential roommates nervous. He could have moved her in with Virginia, especially now that he had given Virginia a private room, but he didn't want them getting too friendly with each other. Although he wanted them both to feel special, he didn't want them depending upon each other. He wanted them depending upon him, and only upon him. They were the only two residents to have any privacy. That privacy was not for their comfort; it was so he could visit them at will, and not have to be concerned about ousting a roommate.

He had made it comfortable for Samara to have visitors, though, with a sofa and table along side the wardrobe in which hung her robes; robes which he had supplied along with food and other necessities paid for with the money embezzled from Gringotts. It wasn't the first time he had visited, but it was his first time since she had witnessed his killing Death Eaters in the Circle. She had been avoiding him, avoiding the Circle although he had asked her to come. He was done with asking. He wanted her obedience. He waited at the open door now until she noticed him. It wasn't long. His magic demanded that he be noticed.

Samara was sitting in the chair with a book in her hands, but she wasn't reading it. She was attempting to consciously change her personality at will. She knew she should be able to do it, but thus far, it eluded her. Within her was contained every house—Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, as well as the lost house of Meridius, and she wanted access to them all.

Her basilisks began hissing a warning, "{Someone comes.}" Then Salacia clarified, "{Our tsez and Sissahauss-A-Sissahausss.}"

Currently, Samara was accessing Gryffindor, and a surge of unexpected bravery reared up as she turned towards the door, thinking of the news Ginny had given her earlier. She looked up at the figure that stood in her doorway: Voldemort. So the time had come.

Tone down the anger a bit, she chided herself. You need to be a Hufflepuff with him.

"You were upset with me," Voldemort said softly. His nondescript aura was tinged with orange. He wanted something. Why did that not surprise her?

"You're damned right I was upset with you!" shouted Samara. Her basilisks hissing in acquired anger. "I'm still mad at you! You expect me to come to the Circle, but you torture people who are supposed to be loyal to you--torture and blackmail and coercion— They are only human—"

"An example was needed," said Voldemort, stepping into the room, his aura flashing red as he closed the door behind him, locking it and silencing it with a wave of his hand.

"No one invited you into my room," snapped Samara. His aura was a deep dark red, the color of dried blood, and Samara should have known better than to provoke him while his aura was that color, but her anger was hot and fierce. She simply didn't care. She couldn't manage to hold the Hufflepuff mood that she usually cultivated so carefully in his presence. She was in a fine Gryffindor mood and she didn't even try to tone it down.

"This isn't the first time I've been in your room. I didn't know I needed a special invitation," said Voldemort calmly, "and you really need to control your temper, little one. If you spoke to me such in the Circle, it would be very unpleasant."

"I'm not coming to your damned Circle!"

"I am not going to hurt you." He switched to English, everything in his aura advertising his deception to Samara.

"Ah Griffin dung!" spat Samara. "Is that the lie you told the men you killed in your Circle? You thrive on hurting people. It's your food, your pleasure. It's your bloody religion so don't lie. It's really not necessary."

"Don't swear," said Voldemort. "It's unbecoming, and how do you know I'm lying?" asked Voldemort and she froze. She had said too much. She didn't want to tell him any more.

"Go away," she spat, drawing all of the shields up around her mind that she could muster. "You're really no different than Dumbledore, a controlling bastard." The muddy mess of his aura was opaque with things hidden from her and bloody red and orange streaks marred its bleakness.

"{Be gone,}" hissed another of the basilisks, Tse, one of the ones which had spent much time with Him. It shook him that the thing would take orders from her when it should have been imprinted to Him.

"It's not your room, Samara. It's mine." Aura orange again, his eyes on the basilisk that had spoken as he hissed, "{You!}" His eyes, thoughts and magic were directed to Tse. "{Come to me.}"

The basilisk obeyed, slithering to his feet and he picked it up. He took two others, Vasuki and Zila.

"It's Maura's room," said Samara finally controlling her anger and attempting to hide her feelings from him. She took several deep breaths trying to cultivate the Hufflepuff aura that had kept her safe thus far. He was always most malleable when he was thinking of Helga. It was important that she find that part of herself. Staying in a Slytherin or Gryffindor mode was likely to get her killed or at least _Crucioed_.

"Who?" Voldemort paused, his aura suddenly washing to pale yellow, much like Ginny's did. She had never seen Voldemort's aura do that.

"Girl from Durmstrang," Tom supplied to Salazar, although he didn't know how he knew that. There was a moment of confusion as he saw a flash of red hair and the Durmstrang girl laughing with her, both scolding a snake for terrorizing a bunny.

Salazar did not recognize the women from Tom's brief flash of insight, and he didn't see a connection. "Bunny?" wondered Salazar. "My bunny? What do you know, Tom? How could you know anything that I don't?"

And Tom pushed away the strange memory, "The blue bunny in the orphanage," he lied. "You remember. It was the last thing that was mine. You've taken everything else from me."

"To the victor goes the spoils," Salazar thought smugly and he left it alone, returning to his conversation with Samara.

"Maura Rosier," said Samara. "It's her house."

"Oh. But she belongs to me," continued Salazar. "So everything that is hers belongs to me. You couldn't expect a woman to hold a castle like this."

"A woman," sputtered Samara. "We aren't living in the bloody middle ages!"

"Watch your mouth!" snapped Voldemort, magic crackling in his hands.

"{Hissusss!}" spoke Salacia, one of the larger and more bold of the basilisks as she felt his magic.

And Voldemort heard Tom laugh. He was, thoroughly amused that the basilisk called him Hissusss 

"{Tsez}" corrected Voldemort in parseltongue.

"Bastard," muttered Samara, and then switching to parseltongue, said, "(Not my tsez, Salacia.)"

Voldemort raised his hand, suddenly filling her mouth with some vile stuff, but she fought the spell, and he couldn't keep it there. She spat it all over the floor, spraying him with minute drops of the sudsy liquid, and for a moment his eyes darkened and she was frightened.

Then, he laughed. She reminded him in that moment of Helga, all fury over a healing potion she had been brewing that he had ruined, knocking some keisel salt from the shelf into the potion. He had attempted to _Accio_ it, but when she had tasted the potion, she did the exact same thing as Samara just did. The session had ended with them wrapped in each other on the potion room floor, the potion itself forgotten. He smiled; his anger melted.

Forgotten by you, Tom said. I doubt that Helga forgot the healing potion. She just had to brew it again.

**_"Pergo! _**Come. Let's teach the basilisks," Voldemort said, controlling his temper and concentrating on the task he came to complete. His lips creased into a semblance of a smile. "Which is your favorite?"

"My favorite?" questioned Samara, examining his aura, which was considerably calmer now, with definite shades of rose. She shivered. "I don't have a favorite. How could I, they are so unique."

"Yes, basilisks are the most unique of the magical creatures. I've decided to give you one."

"Give me one?" she repeated aghast.

The girl stared at him. He could tell this pleased her. She liked the basilisks with the same intensity as Helga loved animals. He thought of how many strange creatures he had given Helga, but never a basilisk. She had thought of every creature as sentient.

_Another flash of red hair flew through his mind. _

Tom? Salazar wondered, but Tom was unaccountably silent.

And he reached out to touch Samara's hair. It was dark hair—black. It didn't have a hint of red in it—red like—Helga's.

Samara stared at him for a moment, reading his aura. It was now relaxed and as comfortable as his aura got. She saw that he really didn't believe any of the basilisks were imprinted to her. He believed they just stayed with her—_why?_ _Because she was simple minded and let them run wild over her?_ She wondered.

"Because they like the abundance of your magic," he answered her thought, and she startled, realizing that she had to be more careful. "So do I. It's beautiful magic," Salazar said, reaching for her. She side stepped him, anticipating his act by reading his aura.

He used the Legilimency like breathing. If the thoughts were not shielded, they were his. Like the castle which he claimed belonged to him by right of occupancy, her thoughts were only hers if she guarded them.

She raised what shields she had. Things Draco had taught her in the past few days, she doubted it would be enough.

"Suddenly shy little one?" he questioned with a smirk.

And she shrugged, knowing he was talking about the shields. His aura again flashed orange, but he didn't try to breach them. She knew he could if he wanted to, probably with a minimum of effort, but at least she would be warned of what he had taken from her.

"No," he said calmly. "I'll wait for you to take them down. I'll wait for your Consent."

"You'll wait a long time," she countered.

"I'm patient. So which one?" he said again. "Which basilisk? I want to please you. It's a gift."

She shook her head, both because she wasn't going to take down the wards and because she was unable to choose. She knew that all of the basilisks had bitten her, softly as gentle kisses, and she had allowed them to bask in her magic and the bonds were complete. If he realized this—she halted that thought in progress, concentrating on something else as Draco had told her to.

She looked at the auras of the basilisks, all silent, but frightened. She wanted to communicate to them that she wouldn't let him take them. She wanted to communicate that she would protect them, but she had no protection for them. Their protection was each other. "{You will be together,}" she hissed in parseltongue. "{Together. That is your strength. I cannot be the one to separate them,}" she continued to Voldemort, also in parseltongue.

"Then I shall choose," he said, grasping the smallest of the creatures, Tisha, just behind its head. "This one. She shall bite you. Where she bites you is significant. The more vulnerable, and the more venom you take, the closer the bond. Usually it takes several bites before the bond is completed. That is because the wizard host would die with a full dose of venom. Immunity must be built. You must choose the spot and communicate it to the basilisk. Choose a spot you are comfortable allowing her free access to. If your intent is to fight her, the after effects are significantly worse. It's like shared magic. You must be open to it. That is how the imprinting is done."

"{Imprinting! Like birds!}" sneered Salacia, her aura showing her displeasure with the comparison. "{We are noble creatures.}"

"Yes, like birds," Voldemort said, understanding Salacia's words but, without seeing her aura, He missed her meaning.

"I understand," said Samara.

"So where—" Voldemort began.

"{Let the basilisk choose,}" she said immediately. "{I would do that with every one of them,}" she said in parseltongue, stroking Salacia, the basilisk hugging tight around her waist, and she looked up to find his aura a frightening rose color. She would have rather it been orange—bright orange—or blood red.

"They are not pets, Helga. You must be their leader and commander."

She took a step back from him. _He had called her Helga!_

"Don't be frightened, Samara. It only hurts for a moment, just the punctures. No more than a quick _Sectum."_

"{Do what he says, Tisha,}" ordered Samara, and the little basilisk seemed to be searching for an exact spot on the back of Samara's neck, just at her hairline. The fangs were arranged and the puncture made with absolute precision.

Samara saw sparkles of stars as pain shot up her neck and for just a moment she couldn't see at all. She gave a little startled cry in her blindness and then suddenly everything came back brighter and clearer; the wound only a burning soreness at her neck. The sight of her bitemates was overwhelming and infinitely pleasant. All of the bitemates became agitated.

"{My tsez!}" cried Samara with the same fervor that Visha exhibited every time she came to visit..

"{Be still!}" Voldemort ordered, grasping one of the larger basilisks and offering it his arm to bite. The basilisk didn't hesitate, plunging her fangs into Voldemort's wrist. Immediately he dropped the basilisk, and, hissing with pain, he brought his wrist up the back of Samara's neck, blood and venom in contact with blood and venom at the base of her skull.

She was immediately and violently ill. She tried to turn her head away from Him, but he was holding her too tightly, forcing the bloody puncture wounds at her neck against his wrist. She threw up all over him, but still he didn't release her. "Our blood shared," he said, "is the first step to our oneness. Since you share my blood, you will be able to control my basilisks should the need arise. Does this please you?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, happy that he was not taking the basilisks completely from her. She didn't know what she would do, or how she would communicate with them. He released her and did a cleaning charm on them both.

"I shall leave my three with you, and take three of those who have been with you," he told her, depositing his three imprinted basilisk's on the table in her room. "You can carry them, or conjure something into a box. It doesn't matter."

The three hissed angrily, wanting to bite anything in sight, "{Kill. Tear. Sissshausss. Devour. Hissusss. Hungry. Hungry now.}" They spoke constantly, but what they were saying was nothing Samara wanted to hear. Their auras were all blood red and torn with pain. Samara wondered if he had hurt them in some way to make them so angry.

"Did you feed them?" Samara asked.

"Last week," Voldemort answered. "I thought I would leave the next feeding to you."

She got up immediately, but Voldemort stopped her. "Elf!" he called and a house elf appeared to do his bidding. "Bring food for the Basilisks," he ordered, and for the next hour Samara fed the hungry basilisks being careful that they didn't take off a finger in their exuberance. Then she fed those she had had with her since the beginning. They were much more mannerly.

"Are they ill?" Voldemort asked.

"No," she said. "Not in the least." But his question had garnered doubt in her thoughts and she reached out with her healing touching one of the basilisks that had been with her from the beginning.

"So beautiful," murmured Voldemort, touching her aura with his, which immediately filled with a deep rose color—Rose against healer green.

He aura was—wanting—almost wistful.

"I'm not Helga," said Samara nervously.

"Of course you're not," spat Voldemort. "Presumptuous child, but you are powerful. I want to touch your healing, to understand what exactly you are doing to determine their health. I won't touch your skin, only your aura."

_Should she trust him_, she wondered. _Probably not._

He seemed to sense her hesitation. "Very well, then," he said, pulling his hand away, and crushing the magic within it.. "Dance for me." With a wave of the same hand he expanded the inside of the room to accommodate her dance. "Surely you wouldn't deny me such a simple thing, when I have just given you a pet of more power than any alive?"

She hadn't danced for so long, unless she counted what she did in the Elementals as dance. _What harm could there be in a dance_, she wondered. "I dance for myself," she said warily. "Not you." She so wished for the Chamber of Forever.

"Ah—you like my Chamber," he said softly. "I could probably do another enchantment, but not this far from the Rift—And I no longer have the means to control space and time. That magic is confined to the Chambers now."

"Space and time?" questioned Samara.

"Yes," he said. "Close to the Rift it is still possible to reach into the otherworld—the world we magic folk once called home, before Meridius' blunder. That is of course, why Hogwarts is so important. Let me see—" and he began pulling bits of magic from the Earth, forming them into spiders which were welcome treats for the basilisks and they slithered close, curious about his magic, as Salazar blew on each of the spiders in turn, animating them and losing them to the basilisks.

She wanted to dance. She really did. With narrowed eyes, she studied him, uncertain if he was trying to _Imperio_ her or not.

"Would you need _Imperio_ to dance?" he asked. "It's in your soul. You miss it. I just want to make you happy; like I have made the basilisks happy."

"Let me go home," she said abruptly.

"Home?" he asked, and she remembered that she had sent her owl to one of Draco's aging reclusive great, great aunts and, therefore, Voldemort thought she was somehow related to the long dead husband of the witch. Draco had said he would have Lauren send one of her owls there to pick up the message. He was confident his aunt wouldn't think anything except that she had forgotten the existence of yet another family member, and hopefully Samara's family was already in possession of the message. Unfortunately, she couldn't even tell Voldemort where home really was. She certainly couldn't go there.

She bit her lip and, to her absolute horror, started to cry.

"Dance," he insisted. "Dance through all the Elementals. Let the magic heal you."

She couldn't argue with that. She began to move, slowly at first, and then more quickly as the music took her. _Music?_ She wondered where was the music coming from. No, she realized it wasn't music at all; it was the wind in the trees. _Wind?_ She looked up and saw the billowing softness of clouds against a twilight sky. The wind was blowing as if it might rain soon. _Like the Great Hall_, she thought with a start. _It was just like the Great Hall._ She stopped dancing and stared.

"You made the ceiling in the Great Hall!" she exclaimed, pushing her wildly blowing hair out of her face.

"Not alone," he replied. "Such magics are never done alone. It was formed from my design and Helga's dance."

"Then this—" she said, looking at the stormy sky and feeling the dampness. She wasn't sure if it was his spell or Water Elemental.

"Is ours," he replied. "We are good together."

"But how?"

Your dance is the glue that brings it together."

"It's so beautiful!" she said as lightening flickered across the moist air like Northern Lights. "It encompasses them all, doesn't it? Every Elemental." She had not expected something like this from him. "Why did you do this?"

"Just because it is beautiful. Magic _is_ beautiful. Muggles have taken that from us. Too many wizards have forgotten. They have forgotten that magic isn't a pedantic stomp from one task to another. Cleaning spells, and potions for sickness and getting from one place to another—it's life itself. We hold life and death in our hands. We are _not the same as Muggles_ and magic is not our _technology_. Magic is our _life_. We can _devour Death_." Lightening crashed across the stormy sky, reflecting his mood. She watched the impassioned speech turn his aura from murky and dark to a vivid blood red with bits of rose through it and she knew he was speaking the absolute truth as he saw it. "It is our right. Our destiny."

There was something strange about his aura. She couldn't quite put her finger on why it looked like it did. It didn't move right. It looked like a dead thing, and then quite suddenly the answer came to her. He couldn't feel the magic. He was making this grand gesture, this speech full of feeling, but he couldn't feel it himself. The basilisks knew. She knew that the basilisks knew. Their name for him made sense now, Sisshausss-A-Sisshausss: Great one always hungry. A snake was not always hungry, but the basilisks were. They were always hungry for magic. The condition of his basilisks made sense now too. He hadn't abused them. He had done nothing to them that he hadn't already done to himself. Death of his feeling magic was the cost of his eternal life. Samara felt as if she had taken a physical blow.

"Give me a bit of your magic," he said, holding out his hand, but she hesitated, as his aura flashed orange. There had to be some catch. _Why would he want to touch her magic if he couldn't feel it?_ "Oh go on, dance then," he said, closing his hand on his own magic. "I can probably weave it from the dance." Immediately his aura was back to reds and pinks.

"What did you want to do?" she asked, curious that his aura could switch so quickly. It was almost normal now.

"A surprise," he said, orange streaking his aura again. "But I don't think I can do what I want without your help—" If he really wanted her to help him to do something, his aura could streak orange. It could be coercive, or it could just be the natural reaction to wanting something badly. She could hardly take her eyes off of his constantly changing aura. It was dark and ugly and yet strangely fascinating. It drew her in the same way that the Elementals drew her.

She hesitated still. She couldn't bring herself to trust him. She started to dance again and suddenly the air around her was filled with rose petals, the smell of warm wet earth and roses intoxicating her, but it wasn't the rose petals that thrilled her; it was the magic—Earth magic, forming the petals.

He laughed at her expression. "I wanted sylphs," he said, dusting the Earth magic from his hands. "But I can't put that much life into an Air Elemental without the female aspect." She believed him. He was telling her the truth, but he was not telling her why. Nonetheless, she knew. Air Elemental was not the hardest to control, but it was the most elusive. Without feeling the magic, it would be like grasping smoke.

"What do you need?" asked Samara

"Just a bit of your magic—not much—a tiny thread—freely given," he said holding out his hand again, his aura pulled in tight, defensive and lonely. Without a second thought, she clasped his hand, releasing a bit of the magic that was overflowing through her anyway, and he brought his other hand up letting her magic flow through him, releasing dozens of butterfly-like creatures into the air. With them came the swift promise of the Air Elemental.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, entranced.

"Beautiful, aren't they," he commented. "Do you want to know how to make them live?"

"Yes," she breathed, fascinated. She realized that she should release the rest of her Elemental magic. She was hot and giddy with it, but it felt wonderful, freeing and absolutely too good to let go of. This was what he was missing. This was why he wanted to feel the Power: because he couldn't feel the pleasure.

"Trust me," he whispered and without waiting for her answer he let the tips of his cold fingers brush her aura at her face. Bits of Earth magic fell onto her cheek from his fingernails. "Release your magic," he whispered, his voice low and coaxing. "Give a bit to me and I will help you reach the heights of the ceiling and all that it entails—"

He could teach her. She knew he could teach her, but she hesitated still, afraid of the cost. Meridius had given up his senses, and his magic and finally his life. Voldemort had given up his ability to feel magic. She wondered what use eternal life would be without feeling magic.

"(Release your magic,)" he hissed in parseltongue and the basilisks gathered close anxious to touch the over flow of magic between them.. Their excitement was contagious.

She relaxed, releasing. A moment later, he leaned in, touching her aura with his tongue. The cold fire of Dark Magic stabbed through her aura in a wild flood and she felt invaded by his darkness. She backed quickly away, spewing her own magic all over him and clutching a ghost of a pain in her left arm.

"You're—you're old," she said, pulling out of his reach, suddenly seeing more than his magic, seeing everything he was, seeing Death.

"Careful," he warned, pulling his own magic close again. "Such magic is dangerous for Empaths—you know that—hold close what is yours."

_But she didn't know that._ _Was he speaking to Helga again?_ Samara wondered.

"But what about the Elementals?" said Samara. "In that they are the same. Healing is more powerful than Necromancy."

"Are you so sure?" he challenged.

"I'm going to live forever," he said reasonably. "So can you. You have the power." He held out his hand tantalizingly. "We have only shared our magic and have traded a bit of what is yours for a bit of what is mine. It is a start, but a tenuous thing at best. Since our magics are polar opposites, they could encompass the whole world. Think of it, Samara. Think of the power." The soft blue and gold light of his magic was crackling around his fingertips like fiery bits of ice, and then his voice softened his aura again rose. "Think of the beauty—"

The promise hung in the air: intoxicating. His magic was dark and frightening, but beautiful nonetheless. Her time in the Elementals had given her a curiosity for Death and Death Magic. With it came power like no other. Only with it came the power to defeat Death.

"At what cost?," questioned Samara, rubbing the stinging in her left fore arm.

He smirked at her, and his aura pulled tighter against his skin. "You are mighty cautious for a Gryffindor," he commented.

She shrugged. "I have some empathy for Death, and I'm not afraid of your magic, but I'm not stupid. There is always a cost. One should ask the cost before the commitment."

Salazar smiled. "Perhaps," said Salazar. "Embracing the Death magic would erode your own powers. Empathic Healing is the polar opposite of Necromantic Magic. But I don't want so much from you now. Death Magic is best confined to the Chamber."

"The Chamber of Chains?" asked Samara.

"The Chamber of Secrets," replied Salazar. "Where I did my work while Helga lived."

Samara frowned, pulling away from him and rubbing her arms, the moment of intimacy gone. She shivered. "Why would you make such places as those?" she asked. "They are horrible."

"I made the Chamber of Secrets to insulate Helga from my work," said Salazar. "It was never meant to be horrible. Since no one spoke parseltongue it was neglected and dirty, but that has been corrected. You see, Death Magic was abhorrent to Helga's empathic soul, I made the Chambers as a gift, but I did not make the Chamber of Chains. That was Godric's creation. He called it the Chamber of Heroes. He asserted that once one conquered it, there would be nothing left to be afraid of."

Samara choked. "Godric? Did anyone conquer it?" she asked.

"Oh yes," said Salazar. "When Magic was still strong, every graduating Gryffindor for the first hundred years or so; of course, none of them were Empaths. Empathy is a unique and rare gift. The Magic was dispersed, and Godric's chamber was warded when I came from the Chamber of Secrets. I don't know what happened to it."

"It seems funny that Slytherin had these rooms and Gryffindor did too, but Ravenclaw didn't, nor did Hufflepuff."

"Of course they did," argued Salazar. "Rowena had her Library and Chapel and Helga and I built the Chamber of Forever together. You cannot tell me that you and Draco did not know it was our shared magic that created that room. It is far too complex to not hold both the male and female aspects. And of course, Helga had her Wall. Sometimes she spent more time there than in the real world," he said somewhat sadly. "She said it was soothing because there was nothing to heal there, but she loved the healing. She lived for it. Died for it." His aura was pure rose, and his eyes were soft and far away.

"She entered it!" exclaimed Samara. "She could enter the Wall?"

"Yes," Salazar agreed.

The door opened and someone called, "Samara?"

"Go away Draco," said Voldemort without taking his eyes or attention from Samara. "I'm not finished here." His aura was still rose.

"Samara," Draco said again. **_"Finite Incantatum!"_**

Everything disappeared: the sky, the clouds, the butterflies, even the stray spiders that the basilisks didn't find, and Voldemort's aura descended to a chaotic mix of reds and black and brown.

Samara stared at Voldemort. "You put a spell on me!" she shouted, betrayed.

"And you expected what?" said Voldemort. "For me to truss you up like a Muggle and carry you off, slung over my shoulder?"

"Get out!" she shouted, but her next words were smothered in his _Mutus _spell.

"Are you angry at _me_? Because you liked what I offered?" He asked with edge to his voice. "Perhaps it is yourself you should be angry with. I forced you to do nothing." Without looking at the door, he said calmly, "Draco, turn around and leave immediately and I will keep your _Crucios_ under seven, although what you have done here today warrants death."

"Samara?" Draco said again but Samara said nothing.

Voldemort continued: "I told you long ago, Samara that I wanted you and your magic, and now, you are angry because I seek what I want? Tell me Samara, how is that different from what Draco did?"

Samara looked desperately at the silent Draco, willing him to deny it.

"You think he loves you?" spat Voldemort. "Hardly. He wanted you for your magic," said Voldemort. "Just-like-I-do—"

Samara expected Draco to say something, do something, but he was still and silent. Draco had already stepped way outside of what was acceptable behavior for a Death Eater. It was too late for him to retract his actions, but he didn't push forward either.

_"NOW!"_ Voldemort shouted without looking at Draco, his aura now flashing orange. Draco's was a deep rich rose. "You are too late anyway, boy," Voldemort held up his bloodied hand. "Blood and magic mingled; she's mine. Just a few minor loose ends to complete: **_MorsMordre!"_** Suddenly her left arm burned with Elemental Fire. The fire traveled straight though her arm into her bones with an inexorable pain that took away her breath, but she couldn't scream through the muting spell. She crumpled miserably on the floor, curling in upon herself with the forces of the Dark Magic filling her. She felt her blood boiling and her basilisks immediately surrounded both her and Voldemort, whether because they were concerned or just because they liked the magic, she wasn't sure and at the moment didn't care. She was too immersed in the pain.

"Samara," cried Draco. "You didn't share magic with him?!"

"Of course she did, Draco. Didn't you see the sylphs before you so callously destroyed it all?" said Voldemort softly, his face breaking into a smile. "Never trust a woman, dear boy," he said as he magically pushed Draco away. "They'll betray you. Wait for me in the Antechamber where I've met the Inner Circle, and we will discuss your punishment," He said pleasantly. "And Draco, don't make me summon you."

Voldemort shoved Draco away, slammed and warded the door and removed the muting and binding charms from Samara.

"You disgust me!" she screamed at him, attempting to run after Draco.

Voldemort caught her and lifted her off of her feet. She attacked like a Muggle, attempting to kick him, struggling wildly. _He was her uncle—great uncle. He was old. He was a snake. He was a liar and a cheat. He was filled with Death and Necromantic Magic. He was everything she hated and she wanted to kill him—to get as far from him as she could—she could scream and scream and—_ **_"Testudo!"_** she shouted, putting up the shield between them and he dropped her momentarily, but he crashed the shield down seemingly without effort, and grabbed her by the throat.

"Perhaps I should take all the basilisks," he sneered. "And send you back to Dumbledore, you ungrateful bitch."

"You could try," she countered, pulling Magic from the Air Elemental, which he immediately took from her through the newly made Mark. She cried out in pain and he hesitated as the basilisks protectively tightened their circle around her. "{Mistress?}" the one which had bitten her asked, but she did not order it.

He never knew so tight an imprint was formed with just one bite. It concerned him. He wouldn't call the feeling fear. It would be better if he imprinted them all, and trained them more firmly to himself first, he decided. There would be time. There was plenty of time now that she had the Mark.

"You should rest now, my child," he said, putting her gently on her bed.

Her thoughts rolling into his head in an uncontrolled rush as she gathered magic_. I am not your child! I hate you. I wish you were dead. You are worse than Dumbledore. You tricked me. Purposefully tricked me. Liar. Cheat_. "Get away from me!" she screeched, buffeting him with an uncontrolled barrage of her magic, that was barely different from a temper tantrum.

"You should get used to my touch," said Voldemort, his aura orange and triumphant. "When someone gets a Dark Mark, their body eventually shuts down to accept the foreign magic, but you are different. Your Empathic Gift will alter to accept what has been done to you." He smiled. "Because you are an Empath, you must empathize with what is given to you. Blood and magic have been mingled. You are mine."

"I will never be yours! _Never._ I will die first," Samara spat, in a rush of Gryffindor bravado and she didn't hesitate as the blood red of anger invaded his aura. "I am not afraid of Death," she spat holding her head high.

"Perhaps it is your friends who will die," he said, his threat very real, his fingers around her throat.

"Then I will see them again in the Spirit world," said Samara, stubbornly remembering and pulling strength from the Indian Brave of her dreams who faced the Shaman. Voldemort's aura suddenly pulled close to his body, and his grip on her loosed.

"We will discuss this when you are not overwrought," said Voldemort gently, touching her face and his aura betrayed his feelings, a rich rose and amazingly, bits of healer green_. He did not want her to die._ "Chances are, you won't feel very well for the next few hours," he continued, taking the basilisks he had originally chosen to take, and leaving behind his own basilisks: Cush, Cilicia and Zissi.

Voldemort stalked out of the door and closed it behind him with a soft click.

He flinched as the spell hit the closed and warded door, splintering the oak with a bright green light and blasting apart the ward before it died a breath from his body. _Avada_, if he was not mistaken, and rather closer than he would have liked. The spell was powerful, even though she had no one to share power with. Helga was never that powerful alone with him, yes, but not alone.

He took a deep breath. At the moment he wanted to physically beat her into submission and bend her to his will, but she was something more than just a Death Eater. She was fragile and needed to be nurtured before he could make her magic his. So be it. He was patient. He could wait.

Anyway, he had another child to subdue: Nymphadora Tonks. He smiled. Nymphadora was a witch he would like to give to Samara. Imagine her Empathy enhancing Nymphadora's gifts! He smiled. All in good time.

Ginny hesitated at the door of Samara's room. She had heard the rumors already rife, that He had given her the Dark Mark. Ethan and Edward were joking about it, but they didn't invite Ginny to join in. They seemed to realize that would be a mistake. They hurried on their way to some urgent appointment, and Ginny had come here.

"I think we should leave her alone, Ginny Love. She doesn't want company right now. Remember how you felt after getting the Mark."

"No, Tom." Ginny tapped on the door again and pushed it slightly open. "I need to be here." The door was already shattered off of the hinges from a spell—a spell from the inside. "Samara?"

"{Tsez!}" hissed Visha excitedly, reacquainting herself with her tsez by biting. Immediately the basilisk realized who was missing: Vasuki, Tse and Zila and the new basilisks with Samara: Cush, Cilicia, and Zissi.

"(Sissahausss-A-Sissahauss has the others,)" Salacia told Visha.

"Oh, it's you, Gin," came the muffled reply from Samara, and Ginny walked into the room and sat on the bed next to her. It took all of her effort to come this close to her. Ginny could feel the scalding waves of discordant magic coming off of her body. The hatred and the despair were palpable.

If she was honest with herself, Ginny was frightened. She couldn't remember ever being frightened of Samara. She knew she was a powerful witch, but she was never frightened of her, frightened for her, but not of her.

"{He hurt Mistress,}" Visha complained to Samara's basilisks as they reacquainted themselves by biting.

"{And my Mistress,}" Tisha agreed.

"{You have failed,}" Salacia admonished Visha. "{No one shall hurt my Mistress,}" she said, turning her head towards Visha, and Ginny could see the light of fiery eyes beneath the closed lids.

"{Eyes closed,}" Samara said automatically. "{Except on my order.}"

"{Yes, Mistress,}" agreed Salacia.

It's still nearly four months until they can open their eyes, thought Ginny.

"And one mistake could mean an unplanned death," Tom reminded her. "Samara is wise to start training them soon. She has too many to be careless."

"{But Sisshausss-A-Sisshausss did hurt our Mistresss,}" said Tisha. "{How could you not feel her pain, Salacia?}"

"{I feel it,}" said Salacia.

"{Mistress chose the pain,}" said Cilicia, one of Voldemort's basilisks. "{It is the pain of belonging.}"

And Cush, another of Voldemort's basilisks, agreed. "{Like a bite. Sisshausss-A-Sisshausss binds them together with his magic Mark. You have said we are stronger together, Mistress. Bond to our Tsez, Mistress has said.}"

"{I don't understand,}" said Tacita.

"{He is not _MY_ bitemate,}" interrupted Visha, the gold of her eyes flashing beneath the closed lids. "{Mistress says}"

"{Is he a bitemate?}" Sawa asked Samara.

"{He is—a storm,}" said Samara. "{He confuses us all}"

"{Yes. Confused,}" said Tacita.

"{But Vasuki will return?}" asked Sawa piteously. "{He will bring back Vasuki!}"

"{Of course, Vasuki will return,}" said Cush. "{As will Tse and Zila and we will return to our Master, soon. Sleep now.}"

"{Why has Master abandoned us?}" asked Zissi, curling close to Salacia.

"(He will return,)" said Salacia. "(Soon.)"

"{We have each other, Mistress says. Rely upon each other,}" said Cilicia.

"{Soon?}" asked Sawa as she curled around Cilicia. "{Tell me soon? Vasuki returns?}"

"{In the space of the night,}" Cush explained. "{Sleep now. Much is to be done in the new sunlight. Much Hisssusss! Sleep.}"

"{Yes, Mistress is tired,}" agreed Salacia. "{Mistress should rest in warm magic.}"

"{It is good to rest together in warm magic,}" Visha agreed, slithering between Salacia and Zissi, and sinking her fangs into Zissi, strengthening their bond. Zissi curled around Salacia biting both Visha and Salacia in excitement.

"{Sleep,}" Cush admonished, wrapping herself around Sawa and biting.

"{Yes,}" Samara said in parseltongue. "{Speak to Tsez first.}" She indicated Ginny to the basilisks but Samara said nothing to her friend and the silence stretched as the basilisks sought their rest. Samara was so immersed in the Magic within her she could barely think.

At last, Samara said in English. "I could die," she spoke in a toneless voice. "That would be a choice, wouldn't it?"

Ginny reached out grasping her friend's hand, and then pulling away with the force of magic still flowing through her. "Oh, Samara, you feel like you might die, but you won't. It's just His magic inside of you making you sick," said Ginny.

"No. No, that's not what I mean," said Samara, her voice even and low. "I feel his magic, toxic as basilisk venom. That won't kill me, but I still might die. I could you know. I could choose death, but then, what would happen to you and Draco?" She turned her face towards Ginny and her green eyes were glowing with an unnatural light. Ginny tried to tell herself it was just tears. The room was so silent Ginny could hear the sibilant breaths of the basilisks, charged with her anger and yet impotent. "I'm so close to the Elementals now, I could just give in to them. It would be the easiest way to defeat Him, I think."

"It's Him that should die," said Ginny vehemently.

"Don't you think I know that? He used me. Tricked me, bound me" hissed Samara, shoving up her robe sleeve and revealing the Dark Mark, puckered and red like a new burn. "How am I going to get free?" she wondered in a low desperate tone. "You have to help me, Ginny."

The words brought a rush of memories to Ginny's mind. _Tom, her Tom, in the Chamber saying: It's the only way—the only way you can free me—you do want to free me, don't you? You won't renege on your promise, will you?_

"No Tom."

_"You have to help me, Ginny Love."_

"I will. I swear I will."__

"_I've long ago released you from that promise, Ginny Love," whispered Tom in her mind, and she was filled with sadness._

And I know you are sorry for that deception, Tom, but it doesn't change the reality, does it? wondered Ginny. She frowned and looked at the basilisks now clustered on her lap, two of his three basilisks, Celicia, and Zissi, along with her own Visha and Salacia. She let her hair fall forward over her face as she looked at them so Samara wouldn't see how her words affected her.

Samara reached out and clasped her hand. Ginny could feel the shimmering magic in her hands, like clasping a Muggle electric cord, like Tom trying to take over her body, like something foreign and frightening. It was too much. She pushed away from her friend, but Samara clasped her hand hard, refusing to let go. "What happens to you Ginny when your aura flashes yellow like that? His did that too—today. It's the first time I saw yellow in his aura."

_Auras,_ thought Ginny, and she thought she was doing such a good job at hiding her feelings from Samara. Now there was no hope of hiding anything. "His aura looked the same?" she said excitedly grasping Samara's arm and then backing away as if burnt.

"You know what that means, Tom?"

_"It means, I still have a hold on my own body," he surmised. "But it's too tenuous, Ginny. It's too late."_

"You want to get away from me," said Samara as Ginny pulled away. "Go ahead. Go. A brave Gryffindor like you—it's no wonder you don't want to be friends with me. I should have been braver. I should have fought him. I'm sorry." She hung her head in silence.

"No," said Ginny. "If you had fought Him, you would be dead." She looked at her friend. No matter what she had done, Samara was her friend. Some deep-seated loyalty held her beside Samara even though she just wanted to run. She didn't know how to deal with this new problem. She longed for it to just go away, but for it to go away, Samara would have to go away and she didn't want that.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Ginny, at last reaching out to take her hand: the crackle of magic, painful against her fingers. "I'm your friend." _Loyal,_ thought Ginny. "I won't let you down."

"Helga said that," Samara replied, and Ginny looked at her.

"Helga?" she repeated.

Samara nodded. "Helga, when I was in the Elementals. She said you were a true friend. _'Doubt not the faithfulness of the sparrow, but know this, when the final hour comes, the sparrow will not choose you.'__"_

Ginny frowned. She didn't understand.

"I'm sorry," said Samara. "I wish I didn't try your friendship so," she sniffed and rubbed her nose on the back of her hand. "Do you suppose it is the final hour?"

"I don't think so," said Ginny with a small smile. "I'm here, and I'm certainly no sparrow." Ginny conjured a handkerchief pulling it out of her sleeve and handing it to Samara.

"Do you remember the last time you conjured handkerchiefs like that? We were in Gryffindor Common Room. Some of the Hufflepuffs were there. Vincent Crabbe had given Sally Anne a broom."

"Vincent never gave Sally Anne that broom," said Ginny, telling Samara about Durmstrang and Maura.

The silence settled.

"Maura's lost her Koschei," said Ginny at last.

"I know," Samara replied. "Cush told me."

They talked for a while about Hufflepuff and Hogwarts and Snakes and Basilisks and totally mundane things, always skirting around the real issue of the new Dark Mark on Samara's arm. After a long while, the conversation came back to Voldemort. It was inevitable.

"Don't feel too bad," said Ginny, "like Dumbledore told me, 'He has hoodwinked older and wiser wizards and witches than us,'" said Ginny.

"Us?" said Samara.

"Yeah," agreed Ginny. "I need to tell you, something." Ginny bit her lip.

"Ginny Love," said Tom. "I think this is a mistake. She's going to think you are crazy."

"Shut up, Tom," thought Ginny, "she needs to know, especially now that Samara has seen the yellow in his aura. I know it's you, Tom."

"And you don't think Salazar realizes something new has happened? 

"No," Ginny thought. "If Salazar thought anything was amiss, someone would be feeling his wrath."

_"Us," surmised Tom_.

"No," said Ginny. "We would be dead."

And then Ginny took a deep breath.. "I should have told you a long time ago, Samara. It's -- Ginny hesitated. "It's about first year."

As she related the story, she paused at sections she had never told anyone, things that were painful to even recall without repeating them aloud. The witches at St. Mungo's knew, of course, but that wasn't her doing. Her aura must have been doing something, because Samara was watching her, an intense look on her face. Suddenly she interrupted Ginny. "Bloody Hell—you love him," she said.

The words hit Ginny in the gut, and she had to deny them, didn't she? After all he did to her, how could she love him?

She remembered the first time he touched her, in the dark. His fingers were cold, a bush of death, gone in a moment. He was a misty wraith: a thin boy with black hair and green eyes, that looked into her soul—that _were_ her soul. She saw him in the dark and the first time, just the first time, she had thought he was Harry, but after that, she could never mistake one for the other. _Did she love him? Could she tell Samara if she did?_ Finally her voice cracked from her, "No—I—"

Sheer pain echoed through her, and Ginny realized that it was Tom's. "I told you this was a mistake," he said coldly, and then he was gone. Distant and all she could feel was the hollowness of betrayal. "You're really no different than the others, are you?"

Tom? Tom? It's not like you can go storming away, Tom. Talk to me. Damn you.

"Ginny," said Samara touching her arm and interrupting her thoughts. "What are you trying to do? Your aura just went from rose to bright orange."

"I'm trying to stay sane," said Ginny, fighting back tears. Ginny frowned at her friend as she thought of how Tom treated her in first year. She didn't want to think about it, so she thrust the unwelcome thoughts away from herself and concentrated on Samara.

"You don't look too well, Samara. I'll have the house elves bring you some tea. My mother always says it will help." Ginny's voice caught on a sob as she thought of her mother. She wanted to just hide in her mother's arms like a small child. She reached out and took Samara's hand in her own, ignoring the buzz of Dark Magic within her.

Samara shook her head. "I don't want any tea," she said. She took a couple of deep breaths and then continued, "I'm alright." She pulled Ginny close to hug her, unmindful of the buzzing magic, and Ginny held her for a moment, suffering it before pulling away.

"I'll stay with you for a while then," said Ginny, seating herself back on the bed and talking softly. As Samara became paler and paler, Ginny _Accioed_ the ever clean trash can just in time and Samara began retching in the proffered trash can.

When she had finished, she wiped her mouth on one of Ginny's handkerchiefs. "Now do you want some tea?" Ginny asked.

"No," said Samara. "But would you do something for me? I thought I would be able to do it myself, but –I can't." She began to retch again and Ginny pulled the stray strands of hr hair back into her bun.

"What?" asked Ginny. "Of course I'll help you."

"Would you find Draco?"

Ginny stiffened.

"I just need to know he's alright. The Dark Lord—He was angry at Draco. He threatened to kill him. Please?"

Ginny nodded reluctantly. "Samara," she asked. "This life bond—If Draco does die, will it—it—"

"Just ask if she will die, Ginny Love."

I can't, thought Ginny, but a rush of happiness went through her. Thanks for coming back, Tom.

_"Yes, well, where could I go?" he asked bitterly._

"What will happen to you, Samara?" Ginny asked. "If Draco is—hurt?"

Samara opened an eye and considered her friend.

"I don't know. All I know is that our magic is mingled and our life forces are intertwined. I don't know what that would mean if one of us were to die. I know things about Draco that he has never told me and I understand things he has never explained. He knows the same about me.

"If something were to happen to him, I would know it, but with this—Voldemort's or Salazar's—Dark Magic running through me, I don't feel much of anything but sick."

She closed her eyes again, a soft groan escaping her lips, and then she smiled tentatively at Ginny. "I shouldn't worry," she said. "After all, it's a life bond. Not a death bond."

"I'll be back as soon as I know anything," said Ginny as she untangled Visha from her tsez and laid the basilisk around her neck. She walked out of Samara's room, _Reparoing_ the shattered door and warding it behind her.

"Thank you," Samara whispered after her, and she lay back in the bed, trying to control the nausea.

"I am glad that you are back, Tom," thought Ginny as she began to search for Draco.

_Tom didn't answer._

"I'm not like them," she said, both of them realizing she was talking about those Tom had once called friend. Those who had betrayed every aspect of friendship to bring back Salazar. "They were just barmy."

Still Tom didn't answer.

"Well," muttered Ginny, "Well, I'm rather barmy too, I guess. I'm in love with a disembodied voice in my head, and now he's giving me the silent treatment, but it won't last. You were silent for too long, Tom. You hate being silent." She waiting, sending little urgent reminders that she wanted to talk to him accompanied by bits of her magic which he couldn't ignore.

_At last, Tom chuckled. "I'm not disembodied," said Tom. "I have yours."_

"You wish," retorted Ginny, and then she cringed as the sparkles of pain rushed through her when Tom attempted to take her over. "Owww! What was that for?"

"For being right," he said. "I was silent for too long."

ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS:

If you haven't reviewed, go and do so right now. You can also click the box that says recommend this story. Much appreciation for your faithfulness.

raptors galore:

Thank you for your review. Glad you are entertained. I hope to continue to entertain you once you are back on your feet.

SwimminChica14

I'm glad you are "so into this story" but I really appreciate the reviews. They are what keeps me going. Glad you like Harry and the new characters.

DraginLover

Harry has a plan? What plan?

Dragonheart2

I've been meaning to ask you, what does ja ne mean? I'm just an anime Japanese speaker, but I can sing all the Inuyasha songs!

xMuted-Faithx

Love your long reviews.

Yes, well that's what I thought too. Hard to be a child when Volde is around.

Oh come on, Harry wouldn't hex Draco for Malfoy teasing him that little bit. He will wait for the big guns.

I see you like Harry's "plan" to save the girls.

I'm going to kill Voldemort, and get the girls back," said Harry with a determined edge to his voice, "and Merlin help anyone who gets in my way."

The Elemental Sorceress

Great gift. another's love? In this story? Are you reading MY STORY?

akiel:

Yep. The great Gryffindor hero quest. LOL You wrote: " who was the green eyed american squib named evans?" But there was no Green eyed American squib named Evans. Maybe you should re=read because I don't know what your question is. Do you mean the aide at the Prime Minister's office? He wasn't named Evans.

WesleyPeppers If you don't start reading and reviewing at a more consistent rate, I am definitely going to kill off Garrett.

Ammarine

You wrote:"Think the dog should have a bigger part, but that's just me and my love of animals... ;)" I'll consider it.

Oh I don't think Dumbledore is really concerned about what the Ministry thinks of the muggle. I just think it is a comment on what the Ministry would think.

Glad you like the suspense. And January 17 at 5:28, You are cordially invited for tea. L. Voldemort. Hehehehe.

Harpy

Wing feather, I think. Lots of flying coming up.

Elbereth

Well I'm glad someone noticed that Snape had a first plan. LOL.

ennui deMorte Thanks for reviewing as if you didn't see all the original mistakes. Love you my beta. Thanks.

trillium

Good. Fresh air feeds the muses? No! They are air elementals and they fly away in fresh air. come back come back....

I made Harry intelligent? Oh no! I have to fix it. He's out of character.

Neville determined to prove he is a gryff? Well, re-read "Fortune Favors the Brave" in THE BROKEN BEGINNING and maybe it will make more sense. I think this has been preying on Neville's mind for quite some time.

Jager

Glad you liked draco and neville.

Kemenran Gee, you're getting wordy...Not that I mind. Thanks

Chapter 22 questions are not written, but go to TheSeersTruth Yahoo! Group anyway and ask some questions of your own. Ennui is on vacation and I miss her.

Grandma and Grandpa are moving into their own house next Wednesday, barring unforeseen circumstances, so I will be able to update on time. I'm really not late tho. There are just 15 reviews. REVIEW FASTER for faster updates.

Lady Lestrange


	23. CH 23: Twisted Twins

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 23**

**Twisted Twins**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point**: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

Twisted Twins 

Harry had just come back from the library and settled himself in the common room with Beatrice and the last of his DADA homework. He had taken off his outdoor robes and loosened his tie while he talked to Beatrice. He flung the robe over a nearby chair and gathered Beatrice onto his lap. Ron and Hermione had taken the path by the lake and were not back from their walk from the library yet, Nonetheless, Harry was not alone in the Common room. Fred and Angelina were sprawled across several chairs supposedly doing homework, between kisses. A couple of second years were playing exploding snap at the table in front of the fire.

Beatrice twitched her nose at Harry and regarded him with solemn brown eyes. The people at St. Mungos had said that it would make her most comfortable to be in her normal routine, and although only one in a hundred animagi recovered from being forced by a spell to stay in their animagus form. If she were going to recover, she would do so in the quiet company of her friends or family.

Since her muggle mother had a nervous breakdown and was in a hospital herself, Dumbledore had suggested that Beatrice come back to school. She went to classes with her friends, but nothing seemed to interest her except carrots and fruit. Nonetheless, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors tried to talk to her as if she were a witch and not a rabbit. It was sometimes difficult not to cuddle her like a bunny though. All of the Gryffindors were guilty of taking liberties that they probably would not have done if she were in a witch form instead of a bunny. Harry had settled the bunny on his lap, curled against one arm as he held his book in his lap beside her and turned the pages with the other hand.

"Four feet of parchment on the crucio curse," complained Harry. "Snape is such a sadistic git. There isn't that much to say about the stupid spell. I looked through every book I could find too. There's even some kind of ritual to transfer magic through the pain. It's ghastly. Who needs to know this stuff? I know I'm not writing about that." He petted the bunny absently for a moment. "You know, Beatrice, if you ever get your form back, the bastard will probably want to you to do extra work for being late to turn it in." Beatrice looked up at him with sad brown eyes as if just for a moment she understood, and then the moment was gone. "Let's see, I still need another foot," Harry muttered. "I can't write any bigger." He began to read out loud to Beatrice, and then he recapped. "I have that the spell is propelled by hate and you have to want someone to suffer for it to work. I have that it makes you feel as if you are dying from whatever the chosen pain is. I have as many different forms listed as I could think of—You know there's a book that lists them." Harry shivered. "It's in the restricted section and I don't think I would open it again by choice even if I got top marks for my research." Harry remembered Snape and Dumbledore talking in the library. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I got this animagus book instead," said Harry. He held it up and Beatrice sniffed it curiously. "Who knows maybe it will have something about animagi who transformed back to their wizard self after crucio. There's a whole chapter about animagi and curses." Harry lapsed into silent reading. The text was exceedingly depressing listing pages of animagi who were stuck in their animagus form by spells a lot less debilitating than curcio, but what all of them had in common was that aside from curcios, they were all life threatening. One wizard, amidst dueling, had changed into a cat to avoid a sectum spell, but the spell hit anyway, cutting the cat severely. The medi withes were able to stop the bleeding, but the witch never left her cat form. She died as a cat seventeen years later.

What interested Harry was that some of the animagi who were stuck as animals had not experienced a magical spell at all. He pulled these ones out of the writing, taking notes on their similarities. A wolf was shot by Muggles and although the bullet was removed and the wolf lived he did not change back to a wizard. An antelope failed to outrun a lion and was rescued by wizards Apparating to the site but she did not return to her witch form. A dog fell into swift water and nearly drown. These were not caused by spells. They were caused by the wizard's belief that they had died. However, the book stated: _Since the whole purpose of crucio is to make the wizard think that he is dying from that particular pain, it is unlikely that any animagi can come back from a crucio induced animagi form, since it is the animagi's belief that they have died which sets the spell. _

Harry sighed. "What did he do to you?" Harry wondered aloud, thinking of the crucio that Voldemort had loosed on him. It had been fire. Harry rubbed his scar absently. It was burning now.

Harry had always been afraid of fire before he learned he was a wizard. Aunt Petunia had once caught a pan of oil on the stove on fire and he had been locked under the stairs. He remembered panicking with the smell of smoke. It was a minor fire, but after that, when the Dursley's locked him under the stairs, he was always afraid that the house would catch on fire and no one would let him out. After he learned he was a wizard, he realized that _alohomora_ would open the Muggle lock easily. Surely the Ministry would forgive him for using underage magic if his house was on fire, he thought. Harry bit his lip wondering in retrospect if he had known the house would burn—burnt down by Voldemort and His Death Eaters. Had he in some way seen it? Could he have warned Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon? He decided even if he did warn them, they wouldn't have listened to him. No regrets. He thought about Rowena Ravenclaw and her ideas about magic. As Beatrice small nose tickled his hand, he consciously tried to let go of the feelings that it was somehow his fault. Nonetheless, he kept coming back to that, with Cedric.

"I wonder how Voldemort seemed to know to use the fire crucio," Harry said. "I wonder if he picked that fear right out of my head or if it was just coincidence that Voldemort chose fire. What do you think, Beatrice? How did it happen for you? What were you afraid of?" Harry asked softly, "Because he would know with that damned legilimency, and that's what he would choose. He would use the fear as well as the pain."

The bunny struggled out from underneath Harry's petting and hopped to the floor. "Are you hungry?" Harry asked. "I have some apples in my room."

He stood, stretching and gathering up his books as his scar stung with more ferocity than earlier. He's planning something, thought Harry who had begun to try to categorized the pain in his scar even though there really was no way to check it. Suddenly the pain flared feeling eerily familiar, the touch of fire that he had been thinking of. The magic was unmistakably Voldemort. Harry knew it with absolute certainty, but it was not Voldemort crucioing someone. No, he was not angry, he was almost playful, hopeful, the roar of wind was in Harry's ears mixing with the fire, and then a flash of fear, almost missed. Fear? Thought Harry. Where did that come from? What was Voldemort afraid of?

"(Hisssusss!)" muttered Shesha, but Harry hushed her, trying against all advice to stay connected to Voldemort, to find out what it was he had planned.

And then the fear was gone and Voldemort was triumphant, almost tender, as if he had license to be magnanimous now. The magic shared in his spell, Harry recognized. It was Samara. The burning and dizziness was familiar, and Harry remembered the feeling from when Ginny got her Dark Mark. He knew what had happened. He had given Samara the Dark Mark. The pain of the thought alone almost undid Harry, and tears sprang to his eyes. "No," he muttered.

"(Master is upset,)" hissed Shesha. "(Bitemate is well.)"

"(That's nice to know,)" hissed Harry, and Shesha went back to her dozing on his arm, and then pain sliced through him again in the form of Voldemort's repressed anger. _What the hell was he angry about now?_ Wondered Harry as he laid his head wearily on his book. Beatrice hopped back up beside him and that is how Ron and Hermione found him.

Voldemort was not displeased that Carman had come to him with her request. He was quite glad that Ethan and Edward were ready for the task. He smiled as he followed Ethan and Edward into Nymphadora Tonk's flat. Voldemort was, of course, invisible. Due to the fact that his snake metabolism no longer was compatible with an invisibility potion, he was reduced to using a Cloak. He could have also used a charm, but then he would have had to _finite incantum_ the invisibility to cast a spell. He thought that might take too long if the boys needed assistance, considering the speed at which the woman morphed.

Carman assured him that Ethan and Edward were ready for this, and he liked the boys, but they were untried. It was entirely possible that they would panic.

He slipped like a wraith to a corner near the fire. Thinking that he should disable the floo, but this was Ethan and Edward's assignment. He restrained himself from interfering. He would only watch, unless of course, they failed.

"Aunt Nymphadora," said Edward worriedly, "Mother wants custody of us." Although Voldemort knew that Ethan and Edward were actually Nymphadora's cousins, and not her nephews, he had agreed with Carman that calling her Aunt would help to emphasize the fact that her cousins were younger and more vulnerable than she was.

"We didn't know who to go to," said Ethan, magic crackling at his fingertips. Edward grabbed his brother's hand and sucked off the excess magic, as he spoke. "You're the only family we can trust. Thanks for seeing us."

"Of course," said Nymphadora. "Whatever Carman and Valeriana do, you are still family."

"Good," thought Voldemort. "She at least had that priority straight." He wanted very much to touch her; to make her mind give up its secrets, but he controlled himself.

Edward breathed as sigh of relief and paced before the fire. "Can I extinguish that?" he asked. "I'm smothering." Beads of sweat actually dotted his brow. Or was that water Elemental? Wondered Voldemort. The boy was quite the actor. He was glad he had chosen him to enter Gryffindor when the Sorting Hat failed. He didn't think Ethan could have handled it. "I guess, I'm just nervous," said Edward.

"Of course," said Nymphadora, her own hair fluttering from pink to white and back again as she seated herself at the table. "I was just going to have tea. Won't you join me?"

And with a casual wave of his wand, Edward extinguished the fire, shutting down the floo.

"Leave the embers," said Nymphadora, ever the auror, reopening the floo.

"Oh, sorry," said Edward as he seated himself at the table. "I didn't think."

"Mother thinks the Dark Lord is the savior of the wizarding world," said Ethan.

"And you don't?" asked Nymphadora, as she calmly poured the tea.. Even from this distance, Voldemort could feel the hunger in her to recruit them to the side of Light, to take from Valeriana her sons, the very same thing that the sisters had done when they took Nymphadora's mother from her. She may be an auror and a Gryffindor, but the Slytherin in her background still shone through. She was plotting almost as fast as he and the twins had been. Perhaps this was too much for the boys. He began to regret his promise to Carman to allow them free rein.

"So you think that boot licking for the Snake man isn't your cup of tea, do you?" she asked with a giggle that sounded so much like Valeriana, that Voldemort was able to ignore the content of the comment. Nonetheless, he thought, she would pay for that comment, no matter which side of the war she came out on.

"Which part don't you agree with," wondered Tom. "The boot licking or the Snake man?"

Voldemort ignored the annoying voice in his head concentrating on the matter at hand, Nymphadora Tonks..

"Well, sort of," agreed Edward. "I mean, I don't think Slytherins are meant to kiss anyone's robes. It's not in our nature is it? We're prouder than that. We all have pureblood back hundreds of generations, back until before the rift, why should we bow to a half blood, even if he is the Dark Lord."

Voldemort clenched his hand over the magic that threatened to escape.

"Go ahead, curse him," urged Tom. "The little prick should know better than to say something like that, even if he thinks you aren't listening."

Voldemort stilled his hand. There would be time for punishments later—lots of time.

"I've never put that much stock in blood," said Nymphadora taking a sip from her tea. "I've always thought it's the decisions you make that make you the wizard or witch you are."

"A quote direct from Dumbledore," said Edward.

"Yes, it is," said Nymphadora. "He is a very wise man."

"Maybe he used to be," said Edward toying absently with his spoon.

"What do you mean?"

Edward stilled and looked up at her. "He's senile," he remarked.

"He put Samara in the Chamber of Chains," added Ethan. "She could be the Prophecy Child and she had to come to the Dark Lord asking for asylum."

"Asylum? From Voldemort? You're kidding?" said Nymphadora.

"And if Samara isn't the Prophecy child, it's Virginia, and she's with him too," said Edward.

Voldemort noted that Nymphadora said nothing about who the Prophecy child was and apparently she knew about Dumbledore putting Samara in the Chamber of Chains and that was all right with her.

Why? Voldemort wondered. Nymphadora was on the side of Light. She didn't believe in such punishments. Could it be Dumbledore expected the Prophecy Child's power to be equal to the room? The magic wasn't strong enough anymore. No one could conquer it now. It was no longer Godric's Chamber of Heroes. It was a prison.

"No," said Edward. "We're not kidding. If the Prophecy Child is with the Dark Lord, how can we _not be?_ How can any of us not be? Doesn't the Prophecy say the side she is on will win?"

"I want to win," said Ethan. "I've seen Carman when she's come back from Him," he added softly, thinking about her most recent visit with the Dark Lord. "If we're on His side," continued Ethan, "and we do what we are supposed to, we should be safe, shouldn't we? Carman says He doesn't usually hurt her unless she has done something wrong."

Edward's thoughts flashed through wondering what Carman did to upset Him yesterday, and Voldemort smiled.

Nymphadora shook her head, visibly upset, her hair glittering like those Muggle street lights when the flames hit them. "No, you won't be safe," said Nymphadora.

"But if we are on the side of Dumbledore," said Edward, "and the Prophecy Child is with Voldemort, when Dumbledore loses, we are—"

"Dead," said Ethan succinctly.

"If Dumbledore and the side of Light loses, it won't matter," said Nymphadora. "We will all be dead. At least the lucky ones will be."

"She has a point there," commented Tom 

"The world that the Dark Lord wants to create is a world devoid of tolerance," continued Nymphadora. "A world dedicated to his absolutes, dependent upon the blood that runs through your veins rather than the intelligence in your mind and the courage in your heart. Boys, trust me, he will destroy the world and everything good within it."

"But your magic," questioned Edward., "Your metamorphmagus. Isn't it a gift by blood?" He took a sip of his tea and watched her reaction.

"Yes," Nymphadora said.

"So if you really believed what Dumbledore said about choices, your blood isn't important to you. You should eschew your blood and all it entails, and just depend you're your intelligence and your courage and your choices?"

"I couldn't do that," said Nymphadora, her skin going a completely translucent white. "I'm not that good of a witch. Everything about me, has gone into the metamorphmagnus. I screw up the simplest spells. It's just who I am."

"Then The Dark Lord is right. Who you are depends upon your blood, not your choices."

"Just a minute. I didn't say that," snapped Nymphadora, jumping to her feet and overturning the chair behind her and the teacup in front of her.

"Yes, you did," said Ethan. "The Dark Lord also says that the side of Light is filled with hypocrites, saying one thing, and doing—or being another."

Nymphadora's mouth hung open in surprise, and then her eyes narrowed in anger. She hastily started to mop up the spilled tea from the table with a cloth she had _accioed.._

"Aunt Nymphadora," said Edward, grabbing her hands and entreating her like a Gryffindor. "Come with us," he pleaded. "Come with us to Lord Voldemort. Meet him Talk to Him and decide for yourself." As Edward touched her hands, Voldemort slunk forward and laid his own invisible hands over theirs.

Feeling the influx of magic, she yanked herself from Edward's and therefore Voldemort's grasp, dropping the sopping cloth and looking around wildly. "That's what this was all about, wasn't it?" she hissed. "Are you out of your mind? Trying to recruit me to that Snake that killed my mother? I'm an auror, for Merlin's sake! An auror!"

"You are a Black!" said Ethan.

"And a Doogle," Edward.

"No--I'm—not," she hissed. "I'm a Tonks!"

"A Gryffindor!" shouted Edward, catching her hands again. "And I'm a Gryffindor! Just like you. I just see a nobility in the pureness of blood and I see too many things that Muggles have done to harm our world, pollution, the dead spots where the Elementals are no longer reachable, dementors … The list goes on. I don't see the evil in ridding our world of these parasites."

"My grandfather was one of those parasites you are speaking of," she said haughtily, withdrawing her hands from his and morphing into a huge Bengal tiger. She roared and then transformed her head back into a human head. Haven't studies of the Rift taught you anything?" she snapped. "The world isn't just ours. It was the Muggle's world too in the otherspace. When they overlapped, we inherited each other's problems, as surely as I inherited metamorphmagus, We can't just erase them!" She morphed back to human, but kept the tiger striped hair.

"Why not. We have the power," said Ethan.

"Just because we have the power doesn't mean we should use it." I have the power to morph into a dragon and burn this place to the ground—

"Wicked," said Ethan, "Can we see?"

"I meant, whatever form I take, some can be dangerous. Should I let that form run wild or should I, the witch control it, and if I can't control it, should I use it at all?"

Edward glanced at his brother, the thought of his barely contained Fire Elemental in his mind. "Every power, that someone had, throughout history, was used," said Edward. "It's inevitable, whether it can be controlled or not.."

"The Dark Lord believes in control," said Ethan, and Voldemort could see the recent studies with Narcissa and Gloria had worked well for the boy.

"Just talk to Him, Aunt Nymphadora," coaxed Edward.

"I'm Tonks," she said coldly.

"Just talk to him. He makes sense." Edward repeated. "What harm is there in that?"

"There _is_ no talking to Him," said Nymphadora. "It's obey or die. He doesn't know how to negotiate or compromise. He's more snake than man, Edward. Don't be taken in by Carman's lies," She entreated him." You are either one of his predators, or you are prey. A trip to Him will account for nothing more than a time to get his evil Mark, so that you can be his puppet."

Voldemort almost stepped in then. She was angering him beyond belief. He wanted to kill her here and now. He wanted to hear her scream and beg for His mercy. He wanted to deny her mercy and punish her for daring to oppose Him. The need was almost palpable.

"The need of a predator for prey," surmised Tom, and whether intentionally or not, his words halted Voldemort's hand. He was still a wizard. He was still in control of his faculties, no matter what Tom thought.

But Edward replied immediately. "Oh and the Gryffindors aren't puppets for Dumbledore? Hell, Harry Potter doesn't even know the Elemental power he can wield. Dumbledore has kept from him his very nature as he has done with you Aunt. Every Slytherin that passes Harry Potter in the corridor feels the power and Harry Potter himself is ignorant of it. Is it Dumbledore's right to make that decision for Potter or for you—for any of us?."

"The prophecy says, 'power unknown'," said Tonks, speaking of Harry.. Dumbledore felt that it was necessary—

"_Dumbledore felt!_" sneered Ethan. "It wasn't _Dumbledore's_ decision! What about puppets now? And how about you, cousin? Ethan asked with a spark of inspiration. "Are there morphs he's forbidden to you?

"Only for my own protection," she said, realizing she was losing this battle, she eyed the floo.

"But he's still _forbidden_ you!" shouted Edward. "Forbidden you to be who you truly are! What right does he have to forbid you to access a part of yourself—to use your own powers to the fullest—""

"You have come here with an agenda that I want no part of," she said calmly. "I think you should go."

"Not without you," said Ethan softly, fire now dripping from his fingertips. "Aunt Nymphadora."

She stared at him for just a second too long before she dashed for the floo, but Edward was quicker, flooding it with Elemental water. It would take weeks before that floo was operational again.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said pulling her wand.

"Oh, don't worry," smirked Ethan looking at his twin. "You won't."

He clasped his brother's hand and torched her. The Elemental fire he had been containing, released in one glorious ceiling high flame. It caught the carpet and the draperies, but Nymphadora herself, morphed into the dragon that she had spoken of.

'Don't stop, brother," said Edward, "Or she'll transform to something smaller and we'll lose her."

"She's a fuckin dragon," shouted Ethan, suddenly, faltering, and Edward gripped his hand adding his power to his brothers as she turned and breathed fire over their heads.

Edward felt the heat of it and ducked instinctively, but immediately realized it either wasn't really fire, or she was trying to spare them. Of course she was trying to spare them. She was a Gryffindor. Something within Gryffindors always shied from pain and death, unless it was their own and then they embraced it, thought Edward. He had seen that fact over and over again in Gryffindor Tower.

Her second blast of flame was closer and Ethan faltered, losing the accuracy of his fire Elemental. Immediately she melted away.

"Sweet Merlin. He's gonna kill us," snapped Edward shoving his brother away from him. "What were you thinking of—"

"Her fire," said Ethan.

"Dammit, you _like_ fire, and it's a hell of a sight better than His _crucio_ anyway!"

Immediately, Ethan turned, sweeping the entire carpet with flame, setting everything on fire within the room. He reached for his brother, pulling him close.

Voldemort hissed and levitated Himself above the flames and set up wards to protect Himself from the heat and smoke.

Edward began to make a ring of Elemental water to protect them, when she emerged from near the hearth, wand in hand, coughing from the smoke and the right sleeve of her robe burnt off, the skin puckered and seared. Voldemort leaped towards her, wanting to touch her and ascertain the plans—just one touch would do it.

"**Itare Phan**—" she began painfully raising her wand arm..

**"Expellaramus!" **spat Edward. The wand came from her hand with amazing ease. For Merlin's Sake! She was an auror! Thought Edward. How could he disarm her so easily? Was it her burned arm? Was she in that much pain? Or were the explanations Snape gave them about disarming an opponent so powerful they could defeat an auror with them? Or was it that she still had _some trust_ for them? Edward followed the disarming spell with a **Crucio!**

Ethan stopped the Elemental Fire and took over the crucio allowing his brother to control the remaining flames with his water.

Voldemort moved a little closer to the boys now, into the oasis of water in the burning desert the boys had created. He wanted to feel what they felt. He was close enough to touch Edward, but the thoughts were so loud, he didn't need to.

For just a moment, her screams bothered Edward, perhaps it was because the first cry was not actually a scream it was a plea—"Cou--sin!"

In another moment her voice was incoherent and tortured, and Edward faltered, Ethan sensing his hesitation, immediately took the spell, changing the orientation from water to fire. _Good_ thought Voldemort. _Ethan was handling it, but Edward. Edward was faltering, just like Carman had done. Voldemort sensed the weakness. Also, the boys weren't sharing magic so much as taking turns_. _Hadn't Carman been clear on this?_ He wondered. _If she hadn't explained how much more power they would have joined, he was going to make her beg him to kill her. _He moved closer to Edward, wanting to understand his hesitancy.

Water. Edward had been pulling from the Water Elemental the first time he saw Nymphadora Tonks. Edward remembered seeing Nymphadora when he was five and had just discovered wandless magic. She seemed so big to him. She had been to Hogwarts and had the most coveted of possessions, a wand. She had been twelve, maybe thirteen at the time. It was early summer and the ground was wet with melted snow and the steady rains. It was a rare break in the weather and Ethan had set fire to the house again. Carman, exasperated, had sent them outside. They wandered down the street, playing and when Ethan set fire to the yard, Edward drowned it as he had so often, but outside, so close to the Elementals—the wet Elementals--he had pulled too hard. He made a pit of mud and water around them four feet deep and neither he nor his twin could swim. He was disoriented with the wandless magic, floundering, swallowing mud and water. Nymphadora stood on the edge of the water and watched them struggle for several seconds before she raised her wand and levitated them out of the mire.

_"Who are you?" Edward had asked. Looking at her glittering silvery hair. He thought she looked like an angel must look, all shiny and not quite solid. _

_"Your cousin," she said looking around nervously. "I'm not allowed here. Mum says, Grandmum is a Dark Witch and I should have nothing to do with her."_

_"Grandmum?" asked Edward._

_"Carman," the girl repeated._

_"If you are our cousin why don't we know about you?" demanded Ethan._

_"Because, Mum was disinherited when she married a Muggleborn Wizard."_

_About that time, Ministry officials came and took Nymphadora with them, scolding her for the illegal wand use. "But look at their accidental magic!" she protested, and Ethan and Edward, afraid they were going to be in trouble for the mess, ran for the house._

_Neither spoke of the incident, but later that week, in a stint of anger Ethan told Edward, "You will marry a Muggleborn,", and Carman had replied, by magically filling his mouth with Mrs. Skowers. He choked for fifteen minutes before she would let him spit it out."_

_"What's a Muggleborn?" Edward had asked._

And Carman had said, "A filthy word that will not be spoken in this house! They are abominations that should not exist."

_"Like squibs?" asked Edward. "Like Aislinn?" _

_"There are no squibs born to Slytherins."_

_"But Aunt Narcissa—'_

**_"Mutus!"_**

_It had been a thoughly miserable three days of Ethan taking full advantage of his brother's inability to tattle to Carman before Carman released him from the curse of silence._

"We should just kill her," panted Ethan pulling out of the _crucio _spell, and Edward didn't have the strength of hatred to continue without his brother.

"Not yet," said Ethan. He lost the _crucio_ as he spoke. "We've got her on the run now." He panted.

"Do you?" said Nymphadora from somewhere within the room, but her voice sounded tired and ragged, and then they heard nothing at all, sensed nothing at all..

"Where is she?" hissed Ethan under his breath.

"I don't know," whispered Edward, but I think you're right, We need to finish her off. "I'm getting tied."

"You! You practically let me do that _crucio_ alone!"

"I thought of her—never mind," said Edward not wanting to ruin his brother's concentration. It wasn't like they had a choice, did they? The word 'puppet' came to mind, and he pushed it away. He had been living with the Gryffindor's too long. The stupidity was starting to rub off.

"Where the fuck is she?" hissed Ethan again, and Edward could feel his panic.

"She won't apparate without her wand," said Edward. "She can't go through walls. She's still here."

'No she isn't," said Ethan after a moment. "I can't feel her magic. She's gone!"

"She's a metamorphmagus, you idiot. She can turn into anything—_anything_. She's probably a rock or something inanimate. We can't feel her magic. Just wait. She has to breathe eventually."

"What if she's already gone? What if we lose her?"

"Don't you even listen in Snape's class?" Edward snapped. "She's not—she's not gone. She has to breathe. She can't breathe magic for more than about ten minutes, no matter how good she is." but Edward wasn't as sure as he sounded. Voldemort could still feel the doubt from him. They sat in almost utter silence, tensely alert for any sign of her magic.

And they waited.

Voldemort was almost as tense with anticipation as the boys were. So far, he saw only one mistake, that they had made, but it was a fatal mistake. As he studied her Apparition wards he realized they had a small hole in them, a hole that was keyed directly to her and only to her. It was an auror's trick that would allow her to escape but not allow others to Apparate uninvited into her home. He had devised such an escape route himself. Whether she was good enough to Apparate wandlessly through it he didn't know, but he wasn't going to take the chance. Silently, he began the meticulous work of closing the hole.

"It's been ten minutes," said Ethan, "And I still don't sense her! Bloody hell, Edward, we're dead. He'll kill us."

"She has to be a rock, a pebble. I don't know how small she can make herself, but she has to be here. There!" said Edward spinning as she became a witch for a second and then immediately disappeared. **"Meridies!"** spat Edward, filling the room with noonday sun, a spell that Voldemort had had the entire Circle practice _ad nausium_ last week. He began to search relentlessly for her, but to no avail.

"Dementors damn her!" spat Ethan. "Did she apparate?"

"No," said Edward, she didn't say the spell. "She's wandless, and she's always been clumsy. She can't do it without a wand. She hasn't gone anywhere. Come here" Edward motioned his brother closer.

"Now we have to wait another ten minutes," whined Ethan as Edward grabbed his hand and stretched out together with his brother searching for her. "Feel her magic," said Edward as he crawled on the floor searching for something that could be Tonks. "Feel it like we did in Apparition Tag."

"She's a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake," muttered Ethan annoyed. "Why is she hiding?"

"She doesn't want to hurt us," said Edward softly as his hand closed over a bright pink quartz paperweight. "This," he said. "Look at it. Feel it."

"It's the color of her hair," said Ethan, "and who would leave a rock on the floor?"

"Muggles use them," said Edward distractedly turning the rock over in his hands. "They hold papers instead of a spell. Dean has one, with pictures of his muggle ball team on it."

"Put it down," said Ethan stepping away from his brother and Tonks.. "_Reducto_, should do the trick."

Voldemort was ready to step in, when Edward shouted, "No, He wants her alive! Let's just take the rock to him."

Suddenly the rock transformed, growing into Tonks, who was more frightening than they had ever seen her. "Well, he's not getting me alive or dead," she snapped, morphing her arms into some sort of plant.. "I didn't want to hurt you boys, but—"

"Devil's snare," choked Edward.

**"Incendio!"** spat Ethan, accurately targeting Tonks and not Edward among the myriad vines.. Well, thought Voldemort, obviously Narcissa did her job.

Tonks shrieked and released her hold on Edward, the devil's snare shriveling in the fire of the spell. After a moment, Ethan released the spell, and Tonks attempted to crawl forward towards her discarded wand. **"Crucio!"** Ethan said and for a moment she was a shivering mass of flame and then she disappeared again.

"Bloody hell," spat Edward. "She's too fast. Where is she now?"

"I have an idea," panted Ethan. He leaned in to his brother, his voice dropping to a whisper. "When I need help, you take over with _crucio._ It has to be fire."

"Oh it has to be fire!" protested Edward with a sneer.

"Just trust me," said Ethan. "Can you do it?"

"Briefly," said Edward releasing the excess magic. "I feel like I'm ready to pass out."

"Don't you dare!" spat Ethan concerned. "He pulled on the wandless fire and set a thin strip of it at the perimeter of the room, widening it until it was impassible, then he contracted the circle, forcing anyone within the room to come closer to them. After a moment, Nymphadora became visible. She needed to be in witch form to pull on the Elemental water, which she was frantically pulling to keep Ethan's flames at bay. After a moment, Ethan said, softly, "Brother?" and Edward took over with the fire _crucio_ instead of joining his brother.

Why? thought Voldemort. "Didn't Carman explain the power of shared magic? Didn't she explain how effortless it was? Why were they transferring one to the other, instead of just sharing the magic?

Nymphadora, who still thought she was fighting the real Fire Elemental instead of a fire **crucio** continued to battle it as well as scream and claw at herself. She thought she was losing her battle with the Fire Elemental and she panicked. Desperate now, she attempted to apparate wandlessly, which caused Edward's slipping **crucio** to fizzle as he lost his focus and the elemental magic backlashed onto him. He sucked in his breath as the fire flew into his face temporarily blinding him. Ethan snatched his hand, warding **testudo** interrupting the fire, and finally doing what Carman had lectured on for the last three days and had allowed them to practice only sporadically. Ethan's magic joined to Edward's and immediately the power was not doubled or even quadrupled. It expanded exponentially, the Fire Elemental flames growing every second.

"Finally!" thought Voldemort.

"Sweet Merlin's Balls," breathed Ethan in awe of the magic they wrought together.

Nymphadora splinched, firey body parts showering down upon them.

_(A/N: Stay with me gang. Only a few more chapters and her death won't be as meaningless as Sirius' in JK's. I promise.)LL_

Both Ethan and Edward collapsed.

"We did it," breathed Ethan, sparks dripping from every part of him, even his tongue as he spoke. His brother, Edward, also strangely dripping fire, hugged him. "We need a wand," he muttered trying to release the monumental amount of excess magic they both held. "I need to levitate something." He fumbled with his wand for a moment.

"I don't think I can get up," said Ethan, digging in his pocket for his wand..

"You'd better get up, " said a cold familiar voice. "Aurors will be here any moment. Never so exhaust yourselves that you can't apparate."

"Master!" Edward attempted to struggle to his feet, and promptly fell back on the ground, too exhausted to stand.

"Portkey," muttered Edward, pulling the long ago created portkey to Slytherin common room from his robe pocket. "It will take two people.

"Ah—I'm glad to see you came prepared. I am pleased with your handling of Nymphadora Tonks. I hated to lose her, but I could see that there was nothing else to be done. **Accio!**" He said and Tonks' wand flew to his hand. " I am not pleased with your discussion about me."

"We were—we were—trying to convince her," said Edward. "We had to say things she wanted to hear, Master. We would never—"

"I am not concerned with what was spoken. I am concerned with what was thought," said Voldemort softly. "But your punishment will have to wait, Edward. Aurors will be here any minute. Together, fire the Mark and Go!"

"I didn't—think of anything—" said Ethan concerned—"Only—Did I?"

"Shut up, Ethan. We're in this together," muttered Edward, thinking that Voldemort gave whole new meaning to the phrase, _you thought wrong._ Clasping his brother's hand and with effort raising his wand with him, Edward spoke **"Mors Mordre!"** Together they sent a misty green skull and snake into the air.

"Go," said Voldemort again, and once the boys had dissolved into the portkey, he took one last look at Nymphadora Tonk's dismembered body, and smiling at the Dark Mark thought, this should distract Dumbledore for a while. He won't interfere. Voldemort smiled as he thought of visiting his old friend Amelia Bones. Maybe he would have time to play with her a bit before he killed her. He Apparated from the premises.

It was late. The Common room was nearly empty. Only Harry, Ron and Hermione remained. Hermione was working on Ancient Runes and Ron was doodling on the edges of his quiddich playbook. Crookshanks was sleeping on the sofa beside Beatrice. The rabbit and the keisel were tucked around each other like puppies staying warm on a cold night. Harry was pacing one hand clutched over his scar. He had been like that for hours, and both Ron and Hermione had pleaded with him to go to Dumbledore, but he had refused. The reason he gave was that whatever Voldemort was doing, it was this, that would offer the diversion they needed to get to the girls.

"Harry," snapped Hermione exasperated, "at least go to Madam Pomfrey and get something to help you to sleep."

"No," he said. "Then I won't know what Voldemort is doing."

"So what's he doing, Mate?" asked Ron.

"I don't know."

Ron rolled his eyes.

Hermione slammed her book shut and threw up her hands.

Harry winced.

"Harry, you aren't letting anyone help you!" said Hermione.

"No, I guess I'm not," agreed Harry." How could anyone help him kill Voldemort? He thought bitterly. Then, suddenly, for no reason that he could see, the pain was gone. In it's place was a euphoric elation that made every pain that he had ever had, seem like it belonged to someone else. "It's done," said Harry. "It's happened."

"What?" snapped Hermione, leafing through her notes?

"I don't know," said Harry, looking down at Hemione's notes because he couldn't meet her eyes and lie to her. On the parchment was written in Hermione's careful script.

The blank rune is thought by some to not be a rune at all, but a more recent addition to the runic alphabet, thus, it's meaning is circumspect. It is representative of Odin, the high god of Northern tradition and equal to the emperor in tarot. It generally signifies death or rebirth, although not always in a literal sense. Appearance of the blank rune in a divination cast indicates that fate has taken control and you have none…

"Harry?" Hermione poked him, and he blinked at her. "What does _Sowilo_, mean?" he asked abruptly.

"Sowilo?" she said.

"Yes," said Harry. "Tell me what you think it means."

"I _know_ what it means. It's a power sign, Harry. Clear vision. Light vanquishes darkness. Why?"

"That Ravenclaw," said Harry. "Oglesby. He said it was the sign of my scar."

"That's good," she said carefully. "It means you'll defeat Him and get the girls back."

"No," said Harry. "It means I _did_ defeat him, when I was one year old. That's when I got the scar."

"Well, you're the one with top marks in divination," Hermione said waspishly She glared at the boys, and shoved her parchments into her bag, obviously giving up on studying for the night. "When are they coming back?" she asked Ron.

"Who?" said Harry.

"The twins," Hermione replied. "Didn't Ron tell you they were on another of their field trips with Lupin and Sirius?"

"No," said Harry. "Why didn't you tell me, Ron?"

"I didn't want to worry you, mate. You seemed to have enough on your mind. Anyway, they should be back soon. It was just a one night event with Moody and Podmore."

"What are they doing?"

"I don't know but something is making the Order crazy. When Fred and George quit making candy, you know something is up."

Harry was silent for a few minutes, thinking. "Are you waiting up for them?" he asked.

"Nah—" said Ron, stretching and rubbing his hand over his stomach.. "They would never let me live it down. I'm just setting a wake up spell on the stairs so I hear them when they come in."

"Good idea," said Harry, as he gathered up his books. He thought he might as well try to sleep. It was already late, and who knew when his scar would wake him.

"Night, Hermione," Harry called as he started up the stairs giving Ron and Hermione a few moments of privacy.

She was doing a last Prefect check of the Common Room, lowering the lights and checking the wards. Ron was accompanying her, but before Harry got to the top of the stairs, the portrait hole burst open and in stumbled Edward, flanked by Fred and George.

"Look what we found in the corridor!" crowed George as soon as he saw Hermione and Ron.

"I think he forgot what house he is in," said Fred. "Lumos!"

"Did not. I was just hungry," stuttered Edward, pulling away from the twins and stumbling into one of the sofas.

Instantly Harry's turned, coming back down the stairs. His hand was on his wand. "Lumos!" He looked at Edward's wide dark eyes in the wandlight. They were so dark; it looked like the pupil had taken over the whole eye. "Well look who's awake," said Edward, slurring the words slightly as he stumbled, crashing into several more chairs before falling into the sofa.

Crookshanks hissed his displeasure, and Beatrice woke. She ran under the nearest chair and crouched there, looking out with frightened eyes.

"If Harry didn't know for certain that muggle alcohol was impossible to smuggle into Hogwarts, he would have thought that Edward was drunk.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked. "Have you drunk some potion?" He hesitated, "Are you hurt?"

"(Smells blood,)" Shesha commented, and Harry tensed.

"What have you been doing?" Harry demanded.

"Magic," said Edward with an enigmatic smile.

"Wandless Magic," corrected George.

"Elemental. And great quantities of it," continued Fred. "You don't get this way with a little playing. We could still walk after wandlessly charming two thousand forty Canary Creams."

"Bloody hell," said George, "Even Neville could still walk after—"

"Shut up, George!" snapped Fred, his eyes blazing with the same light as Harry had seen in Dumbledore's.

"That wasn't wandless," said Hermione, ever striving for accuracy.

"No, but in terms of exhaustion, this was big magic," said Fred.

"Twin magic," surmised George his eyes wide.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you," Edward sniggered. "Even if you warn Dumbledore he will still be obligated to go. And he will think that's the plan, but it's not. It's just a diversion."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry, and then frowning and pointing his wand, said, "You stay right there. If you are under polyjuice—"

Edward burst out laughing and grasped Hermione to keep from falling.

"Get your hands off of her," growled Ron, pulling his wand.

"You can have your pitiful little mudblood," stuttered Edward, pushing Hermione into Ron's arms and turning to Harry.

"Poor little Potter," Edward said, fighting to get his tongue around the words and drooling with a supreme lack of control that was not Edward. "You're always the last to know, aren't you?"

"You will tell us where you were," demanded Fred, his wand held on Edward.

"And what you were doing," continued George.

"I don't think so. I'm awfully tired," said Edward and then he pulled his own wand and did a spell, which was unfamiliar to Harry. Edward collapsed on the sofa as if he was a balloon whose air was suddenly expelled. In a moment, Harry heard him snore.

No one fell asleep that fast. No one. It was almost like he had stupefied himself. As if only magic was holding him up and when it was removed he collapsed.

"You bloody son of a bitch," roared Fred, grabbing him by the collar and putting his wand against his jaw, but he did not wake.

"No! No!" said George. "I won't work to _enervate_ him. He only made it to Gryffindor Tower because of the Magic in his system. He won't remember anything if you enervate him. Remember what happened to us when you _enervated_ me after the Ton Tongue Taffies?"

"Bloody hell!" swore Fred again as he dropped Edward against the cushions and punched the back of the sofa where Edward slept.

"Should we tell Dumbledore?" asked Hermione, "or Professor McGonagall?"

"I think so," said Fred. "This was no innocent trip to the kitchen."

"What could he have been doing to use that much wandless magic?" wondered George.

"Nothing good," said Harry.

"Well, let's see," said Fred, grasping the sleeping Edward's left arm. "George, do you have the new antidote to our illustrious cover up potion?"

"What are you doing?" asked Ron.

"Fixing our mistake," said George as he pulled a vial from his robe pocket, but they didn't need the antidote. All five of them stood staring at the tiny distinctive tattoo on Edward's left forearm. Although only as big as his thumb, it was perfectly visible: from the shadowed skull, gray against his pale skin with darker hollow eye sockets, to the silvery shine of the scales as the snake seemed to crawl out of the mouth of the skull.

"He forgot," whispered George. "He forgot to use the cover up potion."

"Or our potion doesn't cover through a burn," Fred surmised, "The potion wouldn't stand up to such strong magic."

"I'm getting Dumbledore," said Hermione.

"Wait!" said Ron and Hermione stopped at the door.

"What do you mean, wait? For what? He comes in here reeking of wandless magic—" said Fred.

"Elemental Magic," interrupted George, "And out after curfew."

"And you all saw the Mark," said Harry. "He's a Death Eater."

"So is Ginny," said Ron softly..

"Ginny's different!" said Harry and the twins together.

"But will Dumbledore see a difference?" asked Ron. "Will the Aurors see the difference from one Death Eater to another?"

Hermione came back over to them and picked up Crookshanks. She cuddled the keisel in her lap for a moment and then said, "We can't just let him get away with this. We should tell Dumbledore."

"No," insisted Ron. "How can we convict one Death Eater and save another?"

"Because she's our sister," said George.

"But that won't make a difference," said Harry.

"Yes it does." Snapped Fred.

"No, only to us," said Harry. "She has a Dark Mark and she went with Voldemort of her own free will. We saw her. We all saw her. That's enough for any of the Aurors to convict her."

"We're not talking about Ginny here. We're talking about Edward." Said Hermione.

"We should check his wand," suggested Ron. "See what he did—Then we can decide—"

"Why?" said Fred. "Whatever he did, he did it wandlessly."

"Dumbledore is probably in bed anyway," said George. "Where's the Map, Harry?"

Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map and said, "_I solemnly swear I am up to no good_." After looking at the Map for a few minutes, Harry said, "He's not here. Dumbledore is not in the Castle."

"Well that solves whether or not we tell Dumbledore, doesn't it?" said Ron. "I still think we should check Edward's wand."

"Couldn't hurt," said Harry raising his own wand.

"That's an invasion of privacy! It's wrong!" Hermione protested, putting her hand on Harry's wand hand and stopping the spell.

"His being in Gryffindor is wrong," said Harry, pushing Hermione's hand away.

"Harry," she said stubbornly folding her hands over her chest. "What you are doing is wrong. It's not up to us to investigate Edward's wand."

Harry picked up Edward's wand and turned it around in his hand as Hermione spoke.

"I won't stand by you in this," she said. "If you do this, Harry, you do it alone."

The room got deathly quiet as Ron and the twins looked from Hermione to Harry.

Harry felt a low rumbling of power inside of him. Every scrape that they had gotten into, he had had Hermione and Ron at his side. He had always counted on Hermione's brains to be at his disposal. He had followed her lead on more than one occasion, but this time, something told him, he had to make this decision on his own. It was _his_ name on the prophecy, not Hermione's or Ron's. He had to choose. Dumbledore's words came back to him: The wizard you are, is decided by the choices you make.

Ron shuffled from foot to foot and finally whispered, "Harry, maybe Hermione is right."

Harry paused a moment looking at him and then said quietly, "Ron?"

Ron stirred uncomfortably. "Well," he said, "Looking at Hermione's stormy face and then at the floor. I think Edward is up to something, but we could wait for Dumbledore. We don't have to do it tonight. We don't have to decide tonight. We have enough to think of right now, and we should get some sleep." Ron looked helplessly at the twins. "For tomorrow," he added.

Harry felt himself evaluating the situation as Rowenna Ravenclaw had suggested. Would he have regrets if he checked Edward's wand? No, he thought. He had no loyalty to Edward. On the other hand if he didn't check it, and someone got hurt he would definitely have regrets.

Harry took a deep breath, and felt Shesha stir on his wrist, the soft touch of her tongue brushed the inside of his arm and he felt a tickle of fur at his feet. Beatrice! "I've always known this, deep in my heart," said Harry, twirling Edward's wand in his hand. "I knew that in the end, I would do this alone. I'm sorry, Hermione…Ron…I have to know who my friends are and who my enemies are." He stared at them imploring them by sheer force of will to understand. "I need to know who I can trust."

"Harry," implored Fred, "I agree with you that Edward is a git, but if you do this, you prove that you are as bad as they are—"

"Besides," added George. "This is a really bad time for us to be at odds."

"He's right, mate," said Ron. "We have to think of the girls. 5:28 tomorrow—"

"This is something a Slytherin would do, not a Gryffindor," said George. "Anyway, it was wandless magic. It doesn't matter what his wand says."

Harry lowered his own wand, uncertain.

The sudden movement of someone beside him, caused Harry to startle. "It matters," said a soft voice that he immediately recognized as Beatrice. He felt her hands—human hands clutch his arm. "It matters, Harry."

"Beatrice!" cried Harry hugging his newly restored friend, who staggered woozily into him as she fought to stay on two legs. He wrapped his free arm around her and stared, momentarily forgetting the argument about Edward's wand.

Beatrice licked her parched and cracked lips. "Do it now," she said. "Follow your heart, Harry."

The look of disbelief in Hermione's eyes was mirrored in Ron's as Harry raised his own wand over Edward's and spoke, **"Priori Incantum!"**

****

**Answers to Reviews.**

**x**x

Elbereth: Glad you thought this was an awesome chapter. Yes, Samara was trying to be Hufflepuff, but more than that, Voldemort is a master deceiver. Glad you like ginny/tom. Read my other Ginny/Tom fics.

Kemenran:Yes, more please is on its way.

Tiamaty Warcraft: Glad you decided to review. I hope you continue to do so. Yes, things are going down hill fast. No I didn't get Samara's name from the Ring. They got it from me. My story was first. Samara means immoveable mountain. Appropriate considering her stubbornness, don't you think Also, I always thought of pronouncing it Sam'ara Not Som air' a but I could just be pronouncing it wrong. LOL Mess in cell 3 LOL And yes more Gin and Tonic is coming in the next book I hope to see you at the rp. For those of you who want to join a great Harry Potter rp which is played on Yahoo messenger, come to w-groups.yahoo.c--/group/HarryPotterrp. Fill in the blanks with com. Fanfic won't let me put a link. You have to use your imagination.

Ammarine: Glad Volde was suitably Volyish. And thank you for the help with the names. Most of the meanings for my names can be found at No Samara didn't stay in her room 24/7, but you have to remember she was very sick, to the point of death when she came. And she's only been there for a few weeks. It's now, mid-January, so I would say, less than a month. She hasn't had time to explore everything and she has been cautious. It's the influence of the other houses. Now that she is away from the Gryffindors, she is not playing the chameleon and being so foolhardy. She has been to dungeon tho. You will find out about that in the next chapter or two.

Dragonlover: Yes, updates would come a lot faster if people would just review. I had over 250 read the last chapter and at this point I only have 14 reviews. Why is that? ""I'm going to kill Voldemort, and get the girls back," said Harry with a determined edge to his voice, "and Merlin help anyone who gets in my way." That plan just sounded so Gryffindor, I couldn't stand it. LOL

Trilllium: You are supposed to see-saw over Voldemort. He does have some good points even if he is a psycho. After all, why would the DE follow him if he had nothing to offer? Sorry you think Harry is even a little OOC. I think this is what Harry will evolve into as he grows. I'm just moving a little ahead of JK in my mind. I think in essence he is the same "hero". Hey I guessed right with Bellatrix and Narcissa being sisters! Imagine that. The only thing I did wrong was make Sirius father have a sister instead of a brother. Oh well. I am absolutely not going to tell you what Tom has to do with Volde's downfall, if indeed he falls. This is Lady Lestrange you are talking about. Hehehehe. Seriously. there is another book in my series. Infer what you like from that comment.

Garrett: No. but I am glad you are still reading.

Jager: Hope that you have a new favorite chapter next chapter. It's my favorite. Review quickly to find out.

Little Red Rabbit: There are people with the pen names of little red rabbit reading THIS STORY. Oh my. That's scary. What do you think of Beatrice?

VeelaValoom: I'm glad you like so far. There are veelas which have some major parts of the conflict at the Snow Castle. With a name like veelavaloom, I thought you would like to know. I like Fire and Ice too. If you know any exceptional Gin/Draco stories, go to the group, w. groups yahoo. com /group /TheSeersTruth and let me and the other readers know. Eliminate the spaces to use this as a link. I have my best Hufflepuff stuff in The first book_: The Seers Truth: The Broken Beginning_. I hope you read it.

Jen: I like Tom in Volde's head too. I like Tom everywhere. Always looking for good Tom/Ginny fics. If you know any, go to yahoo groups, TheSeersTruth and let me know. The link is on my bio page.

Raptor galore: Sorry Raptor, you weren't number 15, but here's the next chapter anyway. Love your reviews. Thank you.

Swimmingchica14: Yep. All right about the emerald.

Lucky: Thanks for your review.

Indubitably: Yes, it's long, but not as long as THE SEERS' TRUTH: THE BROKEN BEGINNING. Actually, do you know I have the two longest Ginny/Tom fics? Yeah! Please keep reading and review sooner to get the chapter sooner.

214 people have read the previous chapter at this time, but only 15 have reviewed. Why?

**Please, review. You didn't have to pay for this story. Consider the review a small part of payment to show your appreciation. Only about 3 percent of people who read, review. Isn't that sad. All those leeches that read, but don't bother to review do not add anything good to fanfic. Be part of the elite. REVIEW. Lady Lestrange**


	24. CH 24 Devil Snake

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness **

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 24**

**Devil Snake**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point**: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**DEVIL SNAKE**

"Three hours of class with the Slytherins," complained Ron. "I just don't think I can deal with this today."

Harry sighed, his mind far from the problems of school, he paused outside of the DADA classroom. "Are you ready for this?" he asked Beatrice, and she smiled at him, lightening his morose mood a little. Nonetheless, it seemed like everything was piling up: Dumbledore had subjected them all to the speech, once again praising Harry for the rescue of Beatrice Ellis. With Beatrice restored to her witch form, everyone had to applaud his rescue. It seemed like a nice start to the day even though it had been embarrassing, but then Cho had come over to the Gryffindor table to extend her congratulations.

"Where's Marietta?" asked Beatrice innocently, and Cho said she was feeling under the weather.

"Too much wandless magic in service of the Dark Lord?" said Beatrice between bites of egg and Cho had huffed her indignance

"She wouldn't do that," said Cho, her face turning an unnatural shade of red. "Don't you ever say that about my friend, you little rodent."

Harry's face darkened. "Cho, you should leave," he said in a soft serious tone.

"You're a liar," spat Cho, glaring at Beatrice. "You just wanted the fame—poor stuck animagus—You were never stuck were you?"

"I'm sure Beatrice wouldn't lie," said Harry.

"Wouldn't she?" said Cho. "A lot of people would lie for a chance to date you, Harry."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He was rendered speechless. That thought had never occurred to him, but Cho didn't seem to expect an answer. Her eyes were still glued on Beatrice, who was completely unruffled by Cho's attack.

"Cho," said Beatrice. "Marietta is a Death Eater. I saw her at the Snow Castle. I thought you should know."

"She would never do Dark magic," said Cho. "You're a liar."

Beatrice shrugged as if the whole argument made no difference to her whatsoever.

Cho's eyes narrowed and her hands clasped her wand. "Maybe you were the one doing Dark Magic," said Cho. "You hid out as a bunny long enough—"

Harry finally found his voice and stood, drawing his wand. "That's enough," he said gruffly, but Beatrice had already transformed back into a bunny and darted under the table.

"Is there a problem?" asked McGonagall who glided over to the table, her eyes on the drawn wands.

" A woman scorned," mouthed Ron.

Hermione poked him, and he closed his mouth, leaving Harry to explain.

"No problem," said Harry. "Cho was just leaving."

"If I leave," said Cho, with eyes narrowed. "I won't be back, Harry. You can have your little rodent, but don't come crawling back to me." Cho turned, her black hair flying over her shoulder as she strode back to the Ravenclaw table. She did not look back at Harry Potter.

"Does that mean you aren't taking Cho to the Chamber of Secrets?" asked Ron.

"That never was a good idea," interjected Hermione as she put away the wand that she had stealthily drawn during the confrontation.

Harry smiled at his two friends who had relaxed into the normal banter that had been absent from their lives since they learned that they would go to the Snow Castle today. They seemed to have forgotten Harry for the moment, so he went to fetch Beatrice from under the table. He had gathered her into his arms and petted her, cooing. "It's alright, Beatrice. You shouldn't let her frighten you." He was crawling from under the table, with the bunny in his arms when Beatrice suddenly transformed into a witch. He gasped pulling has hands away from her.

"I'm not frightened of her," said Beatrice in a soft voice. "Not after what I've been through."

Harry put his hands into his pockets, trying to think where he had his hands on the bunny. He felt his ears get hot with his blush, although thankfully, it wasn't as noticeable as Ron's blushes and since he was still under the table, no one really noticed except Beatrice herself and she didn't seem to mind. "I'm sorry," stammered Harry uncertain exactly what he was apologizing for.

"I just wondered if you would crawl under the table after me or wait for me to come back to my chair," whispered Beatrice with an amused twinkle in her eye.

"You!" spat Harry. "You did that on purpose!"

"Guilty," she said with a little laugh. Her warm brown eyes filled with amusement.

They looked at each other for a moment longer, as the amusement faded and neither was really conscious of the crowd in the Great Hall until Hemione picked up the table clothe and peered under the table. "Harry? Beatrice?" she said, and giggling, the two of them crawled out from under the table.

They finished eating breakfast while talking in whispers and veiled references about the plan to go to the Snow Castle. "Harry, I really don't think you can fight You-Know-Who now," Hermione argued in a secretive undertone.

"Sowilo," said Harry softly thinking of what Oglesby had said about destiny. Harry wasn't sure if he believed in destiny or not, and yet his whole life seemed to be dependent upon it. He didn't think he could change it now.

"No," said Beatrice. "The blank rune. Chance. What will happen will happen regardless to what you do to change or prevent it. It can't go wrong Harry."

"What do you mean it can't go wrong," Hermione hissed. "Harry could die!"

"Then it's preordained and there is nothing he can do about it," said Beatrice.

Ron cleared his throat as the Great Hall started to fill up with students seeking their breakfasts and the conversation shifted to a safer subject for public scrutiny: Beatrice's animagus change. Dumbledore had told them to tell no one how she was restored to her witch form. He had even said that she wasn't allowed to thank Snape for his help, but Beatrice balked at that.

"He deserves to know," she said, explaining, "If it hadn't been for Snape, I wouldn't have gotten out of my animagus. You see, I never thought I would die. I thought I was having an asthma attack. I've had a lot of them, and I never could breathe." She looked at the ground. "Professor Snape took away my puffer. He said that witches can breath magic and only a muggle would die, so I thought I could breath. All I had to do was concentrate. I mean, it was hard. It hurt, but I thought I could do it. I never thought I was going to die.

"But it wasn't an asthma attack. It was crucio," said Harry. "I read about it. Almost no one comes back from a crucio induced animagus change."

"but if she never thought she was in danger of death," said Dumbledore, "That explains why she's been able to return to us. That part of the spell is mental torture, Harry. If she didn't think she was going to die, she shouldn't have been stuck as the animagus at all."

"Well, at the Snow Castle it seemed like a good idea to stay a bunny and then, I guess, everyone expected me to be stuck," said Beatrice. She shrugged. "I never was good at getting out of the bunny. I could always go into it quickly, but getting out has always been hard for me."

"Did you really think you couldn't breath under crucio," asked Ron.

"Of course I really couldn't breath magic while under the crucio, but I thought I was just doing it wrong. Professor Snape berated me enough for doing it wrong. I always got it wrong. I just kept trying to breathe. I managed to keep control of the bunny, but after I passed out, the bunny just freaked out and wouldn't come back to me later. It took a crisis--to force me to override the bunny's fear."

"What crisis?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, Harry was arguing with the rest of the Gryffindors," said Beatrice looking shamefacedly at her shoes. They had already agreed not to tell Dumbledore about Edward's Dark Mark, or the fact that the Dark Mark came out of his wand when they did _priori incantum._

"And that was enough to bring you out of the animagus?" asked Dumbledore surprised.

"Yes. I'd rather not talk about it," said Beatrice.

Beatrice is rather sensitive to arguments," said Harry. "And she is friends with both Hermione and me. It upset her to see us at odds."

"I see," said Dumbledore. None of them thought he was fooled, but he let them go and made the speech in the Great Hall at breakfast. Tomorrow, none of it would matter.

The group hurried into DADA class. When they entered, Edward was speaking to Snape in an animated manner.

"I want to tell Professor Snape 'thank you'," said Beatrice.

"Maybe later," suggested Harry, and Beatrice nodded taking a seat between Harry and Hermione, but when class was over, Snape hurried out of the room like the hounds of hell were chasing him. No one had a chance to talk to him.

As he watched Snape leave, Harry Potter rubbed a distracted hand over his scar. It was burning with a soft prickly heat.

Voldemort had honed the plan to a fragile form of perfection in his mind. There were only a few places were it could go wrong—only a few people who could thwart him. Virginia Weasley was one of those. He visited her hours before the evenings' events, to ascertain how deep her loyalties ran and to strengthen them accordingly. Her connection with the diary would work nicely.

"You know, that if you do this right—if you follow my instructions carefully I will reward you." He told her, drawing his finger along her cheek. She could feel the roughness of the skin, like scales, she told herself.

"Yes," Ginny said thinking that if she failed he would punish her. She shivered, and Tom interrupted her thoughts.

_It would not due to remind him of that Ginny Love. Let's concentrate on succeeding."_

But I don't want him to succeed.

_I want us to succeed," Tom argued._

Voldemort cupped her chin in his hand and turned her to look at him. Tom fled.

"You are far away," he said softly. "Thinking of me—of Tom."

"You are not Tom," Ginny said.

"I thought you agreed that Tom was present in me when you joined me."

"I didn't join you. I was tricked," said Ginny.

His face darkened momentarily, but he didn't hurt her. Instead he transfigured himself into his sixteen year old self, the skin of his hand softening beneath her chin.

She backed away. "You can't fool me. You aren't him," she said.

"Yes I am." he said, taking a step closer to her.

She continued backing away fearfully until her back was against the wall, and still he reached out to touch her, putting his other hand up along the wall and blocking her exit.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said.

"Yes you are."

"Well, maybe just a little," he agreed, his lips curling into a smirk, as he leaned close, playing his morbid game of cat and mouse.

She closed her eyes, knowing she was trapped. The temptation to just give in was over whelming.

She whimpered as he touched her, his magic bubbling about her just like it did when she was eleven, only now she could understand what his magic was doing to her, and she would not consent. "Please," she murmured turning her face from his. "I don't want to—"

And then he closed his hand over her Dark Mark and every bit of will power she had to reject him deserted her. It was just like the diary all over again and she had no will to resist him.

He stepped away, leaving her incomplete and whimpering. "Good," he said. "You are mine." His gaze was almost tender, as if he could see something in her of which she herself was unaware. He touched her with something more than his fingers then, perhaps it was legilimency, but it filled her with a dread and wanting at the same time.

"Remember," he said, "If you want to see your family, you will obey me." The words were both a promise and a threat and Ginny shivered. He paused as if considering if he had more work to do with her. He seemed detached, thinking of something,, strangely, like her mother acted when she had too many things to do in too short of a time. A part of Ginny rejected that thought. She couldn't possibly compare him in any way to her mother.

Your polyjuice, Virginia," he said handing her the vial with a flourish. "Take your basilisk to Samara, now," he said, and be ready for me in an hour. He smiled at her, saying, "We shall have fun," and touching his fingers to his lips, he ran his thumb along the line of her mouth. "I can be who you want, Virginia," he said.

"You're not," she said hoarsely. "You're not Tom."

"Tom and I are more alike than you think," he said. "You have idealized him in your mind. You have forgotten who he really was." He continued rubbing her Mark with a concentrated gentleness. "I am he and he is me."

He touched her mute lips with his thumb, and then melting back into his snake form, he disapperated. His magic burned on her lips long after he had left, and she pondered what he had said.

_"You can still fight Him, Ginny Love, but I can't see the point," said Tom. "He is not me, but you have the Dark Mark. He is right. You are His."_

Ginny lay on her bed and wept.

_"You should have had these doubts before you came to Him. Now you have no choice."_

"He said I could go home—afterwards," Ginny said. "After I do this task for him."

_Tom said nothing._

A tense atmosphere hung over the meeting that had been called on the afternoon of January 17 in the Minister of Magic's office on the top floor of the Ministry Building. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic was sitting at the head of the long polished mahogany table, drumming his fingers nervously. Every now and then, he touched the wand in his pocket as if it could protect him from the dangers beside him. He looked right and left with darting eyes that searched for too much gold and too few friends. Beside him was the seat for the Deputy Minister, Amelia Bones, as yet empty. On the other side of the table sat Lucius Malfoy, Finance Trustee and beyond that, the seven chief Aurors, including Auror Dawlish, Head of Internal Operations and Auror Williamson Chief of Staff who were settling into their seats after the short break for tea.

Aurors Dawlish, and Williamson were seated at one end of the table with their heads together when Madam Amelia Bones entered. All looked up at her entrance, happy to see her for one reason or another. Lucius Malfoy stepped around the table and graced her with a courtly bow.

"We are happy to see you back from your ordeal," he said, gray eyes intense. "We hope that you are well enough to see this meeting through and bring to justice those that are responsible."

"Hear! Hear!" agreed Williamson with a short applause that was joined by the others.

The gray-haired woman nodded mutely as Lucius kissed her hand, but she managed to pull her hand away quickly.

As you know, she said, "We are here to discuss the horrible deaths of several aurors and ministry officials." She paused. "And we are here to decide what to do about it." Madam Bones took a deep breath, looking exceedingly pale to anyone who knew her well. Fortunately, most of the aurors did not know her well enough to realize that the person they were looking at, was not Madam Bones. It was Virginia Weasley.

The first time Ginny swallowed the polyjuice, she threw up. Several sips of pumpkin juice drove the taste of vomit from her mouth but nothing could drive the fear from her heart.

She never thought she would regret the absence of a basilisk, but as she traded the small serpent at her neck for an even tinier viper she found she couldn't control her shivering.

The viper curled around her hair decoration, hiding in the leafy fronds over her ear with a concealment charm He spoke in the sibilant tones she had already begun to associate with Voldemort.

"(Such fear,)" he observed. "(You have nothing to fear unless you fail.)"

The touch of his tongue on the skin of her ear lobe filled her with loathing which he seemed to find amusing.

"(And here, I thought you had some fondness for me, Virginia.)"

"(Only for Tom)", hissed Ginny. "(And you are not he.)"

"(Of course I am. I am he and much more, I thought I made that clear earlier today. But we have no time for this private conversation--yet. We have work to do, and you must be silent, only listening. It will not do for the deputy minister to be speaking parseltongue.)"

"Madam Bones," greeted Auror Williamson his black eyes glittering in anticipation of today's meeting. "We are so happy to have you back among your friends after your close call."

"Thank you, Mr. Williamson," Ginny said in the gravely old woman's voice.

Minister Fudge greeted her nervously. His hand was clammy against hers and he didn't meet her eyes.

"(Do not let him worry you,)" hissed Voldemort in her ear. "(He always smells of fear.)"

The others with their aides were already seated at the table: Evelyn Burton, Warren Conlin and Robert Fair were not introduced, but Ginny knew them from Voldemort's descriptions of them.

"It's good to see you back, Madam Bones," Percy Weasley said politely.

Ginny felt the air go completely out of her lungs. She just stared at him.

"He didn't tell me Percy would be here," she thought frantically.

"_Sit down, Ginny Love," said Tom. "You are going to get yourself in a jam before you even start."_

Ginny sat.

"We are here to discuss the safety of our aurors," began Fudge, when the door banged open again and in walked Alaster Moody with Darneil Semenik, who was masquerading as the Auror Sturgis Podmore.

"(Right on time,)" said Volemort. "(I love Semenik's punctuality.)"

"Alaster, this is a Ministry meeting," said Fudge insensed.

"I think we have every right to be here," said Moody, his eyes swiveling to examine each of the assembled witches and wizards who were still talking quietly among themselves.

"She was so young," said Sturgis softly.

"Have you been to Tonk's flat?" asked Kingley Shacklebolt. The big black man looked visibly shaken by the news of her death.

"Yes," hissed Moody. "That's why I am here. Some of these Aurors I have trained since they were green recruits just out of Hogwarts. Hell, some of them I saw in their nappies. I certainly have every right to know what is killing them."

"(You-Know-who,)" hissed the snake in Ginny's ear, and Ginny reacted, turning toward Moody, "You-Know-Who is killing them," she snapped. "He and his Death Eaters. Welcome, Auror Moody." She stood to shake his hand.

"So you are finally going to open your eyes, are you Fudge?" said Moody. "It takes the death of a child before you do anything to arrest the growth of evil in our midst."

"She was hardly a child," said Sturgis. "She was an auror."

"She was so proud of being an auror," Kingsley whispered. "And she was not the first one attacked. Madam Bones had a close call earlier this week. I'd say that You Know Who is getting bold now that he has his Prophecy Child."

"Yes, Madam Bones did have a close call herself earlier this week. Reminds me of Hogshead, 1941," said Moody. "Don't you think, Amelia?"

Ginny froze. She had no idea what to say and apparently, neither did Voldemort.

"(Touch him,)" Voldemort demanded, "(Maybe I can get a sense of what he is thinking through you.)" The sparkles of discomfort she felt when Tom attempted to possess her were nothing in comparison to whatever Voldemort did to sense Moody, but it was no good. She gasped with his attempt to reach out magically and became extremely dizzy, swaying sickly on her feet and gripping Moody's shoulder not because of Voldemort's order, but because she would have fallen if she didn't.

"I'm sorry," Moody said, instantly contrite. "I wouldn't have brought up the death of your husband so close on the heels of your accident, if I could have thought of any other way to ascertain that this was really you, Amelia. Since only you and I knew your husband was on that clandestine mission that took his life at Hogshead. But after all, Amelia your husband died a long time ago."

"You son-of-a-bitch," snapped Ginny, but Moodly smiled grimly. "Oh, I'm glad to see they haven't scared the spunk out of you, Amelia."

"I want them caught and put in Azkaban where they belong." Said Ginny caustically.

"Very nice," hissed Voldemort, "taking the initiative, but you will wait for my words next time." His hiss was a tickle in her ear and she resisted the urge to brush him away from her.

"Speaking of Azkaban," said Moody. "Has Mr. Rookwood been apprehended yet?"

Voldemort's amusement was apparent to Ginny. "(Well, the Ministry Morons can keep looking, but they won't find him, will they?)"

"No," said Ginny. "Of course, I've been out of the loop for the past week."

"(But he's been dead for two and a half months, Virginia,)" commented Voldemort.

"Yes. Yes. Of course, Madam Bones." Moody was traveling around the perimenter of the room checking for wards and breaches of security. Mr. Shacklebolt slipped back outstide to add an extra guard to the doorway. Then Moody sat at the table and pronounced, "Now, we wait."

"Wait?" questioned Fudge.

"Article ---1597 of the security code. No meeting shall commence until an hour has passed to rule out the possibility of polyjuice."

Don't be ridiculous," interrupted Lucius. "We've been with each other all morning. The only one who hasn't been here is you, Mr. Moody." Lucius said tightly. "Perhaps we should examine your hip flask."

Obediently, Moody took off his flask and passed it to Fudge who called for a house elf.

Ginny was surprised to see Snape's personal elf Maximus, but neither Fudge nor Moody nor any of the others saw anything amiss as the elf took the flask and opened it. The elf lifted the flask to its face, tasting and pronouncing the contents mineral water. As Moody reached to retrieve the flask, Lucius grimaced, "You would drink after that?" He asked indicating the house elf. "Clean it at once and refill it," stated Malfoy and the elf disappeared with the flask.

No one noticed the elf re-appear with the flask. He gave it to Fudge, which was proper as he was the ranking Ministry official. Fudge moved it absently and continued talking. The elf, however, looked directly at Ginny and disapparated.

Fudge laid out the particulars on the attack on Tonks. "The evidence of shared magic was unmistakable, but it doesn't match the records we have on file of –of " He glanced at Lucius Malfoy. "Of anyone." he finished weakly.

"Not the Doogle sisters?" asked Moody. "We know they killed Andromeda—"

"You know no such thing," snapped Lucius. "My wife's innocence was proved long ago, the Imperious curse—"

"Is _convenient_ for you Slytherins," said Moody.

Ginny shifted, but Voldemort told her to be still. "(Malfoy will control himself.)"

The sudden twitch in Malfoy's cheek was the only indication that he was angry, that and his stormy gray eyes. "I know, Alaster," he said smoothly, "You love berating Slytherins. You Gryffindors are always saving the wizarding world, but let's remember, it is the Slytherins who are still running it.."

At Voldemort's instruction, Ginny added. "Let's not forget the Hufflepuff's keeping the peace." She said with a small smile.

"There is no peace," snapped Warren Conlin.

"And the Ravenclaw's logic," continued Ginny, looking at Warren. "It takes _all of us_ to run this country, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Moody-- The way I see it, we would be foolish to disavow any of our strengths."

Ginny looked uncomfortably at the shiny mahogany table, unable to bear Lucius approving eyes on her.

"Do you think he is aiming for the Ministy building?" asked Warren Conlin changing the subject. "It would give him communications throughout the world."

Voldemort coached Ginny through her answer.

"Indeed," said Ginny. "That's a scary thought, but I don't think he would be so bold, not with all of you brave and cunning ladies and gentlemen to protect us. Not with all the talent and intellect assembled here. We defeated him once. We still have the means. We are strong enough to defeat him again, just as we did before."

"Harry Potter is a bad risk," commented Lucius.

"He has been the savior of the wizarding world more than once," commented Moody.

"All the more reason to let the poor boy be a child for a while," said Lucius.

Ginny's eyes darted to Lucius face, which was cool and unflustered, betraying nothing. She had half expected a smirk.

"The prophecy," began Robert Fair.

"(Bring this conversation to the matter at hand,)" coached Voldemort. "(They are concerned about this new prophecy child. Let them think that perhaps they can still save her. The Gryffindors are itching for action. Humor them. I will tell you what to say.)"

"If I may have the floor," interrupted Ginny.

"Of course, Madam Bones," said Minister Fudge.

"I was not speaking of Harry Potter, although we all know the importance of the boy. I was speaking of this new prophecy child, the one that has made Him so bold. As long as He holds her, He feels He is invincible. She must be turned to the side of light. She must be found, captured and brought to us. If we can steal her from beneath His wand, we will be the victors. It will take the arrogance out of His attack."

"(If they cannot capture her,)" coached Voldemort, "(they should try to kill her. That will surely push her into my waiting arms,)" he added smugly.

Ginny took a deep breath, ignoring Vodemort's words. She would not tell the aurors to kill Samara. They may do it anyway, but she would not be the one to give them the idea if they didn't already have it.

"We will pay for your stubbornness," predicted Tom, but Ginny ignored him too.

"His Death Eaters will doubt," Ginny continued picking up the other things Voldemort wanted her to say. "Indeed, from what I saw, there were some who hesitated in torturing me. They realized they would be recognized if I escaped, and our dear friend," She paused thinking everyone at this table knew she, though Voldemort's words, was speaking of Severus Snape, but she could not say his name. A spy," she continued, " in the Dark Lord's ranks, at great risk to himself, was, instrumental in my return to you. His followers are witches and wizards, pure and simple, caught between conflicting loyalties. If we give them a chance to betray Him, some will take it. We should give them the chance to be loyal to the Light. We should give them a chance to rethink their loyalty. We already have one of his Death Eaters on our side. Perhaps there are more who would turn."

"(That should flush out our true spy,)" predicted Voldemort.

"If they have already betrayed the Light," growled Moody, "they should die."

A hush settled over the table, as Williamson cleared his throat. "If I may have the floor," he said, holding up a sheet of paper that constituted one of the most damning pieces of evidence, and yet it was only a piece of paper, signed in ink, not blood.

"Certainly Auror Williamson," agreed Madam Bones, glad for the moment of respite.

Williamson stabbed at the paper he held with his forefinger. "You have copies of this," he reminded the members of the council. "What I have here is an urgent communication for a transfer of funds—muggle funds—to purchase magical items including unauthorized potions ingredients. Items six and seven call for twelve thousand kilos each of both the herb _brimstone mirra_ and the potion itself, _mira opening_, the same potion that was used in various bombings in the muggle and wizarding world. Williamson lowered the paper and sent a challenging look around the table. "If this becomes common knowledge—" He broke off.

"There will be an inquiry," added Malfoy.

"Something like this couldn't have been authorized without Minister Fudge's approval," Williamson said, his eyes on Fudge.

The bureaucrats at the table shifted already preparing to fireproof themselves against public opinion. The Aurors pressed for answers. Fudge, visibly sweating looked helplessly at Malfoy.

"You haven't told us how you happen to have this document in your possession, Williamson," drawled Lucius Malfoy, trying to sidetrack Auror Williamson and ease the tension.

"How I got it, makes no difference whatsoever," snapped Williamson. "It's part of an inventory supply list for _a muggle_ chemist. Why should we be shipping wizarding explosives off to _muggles?"_ he asked.

"Well, if it was paid for with muggle money," said Stergis Podmore, with a shrug. "Do you think it was a muggleborn wizard who ordered it?"

"Twelve thousand kilos?" interrupted Dawlish aghast. "That's enough to blow up half of London. No one person would need that much."

"Well, nothing has been blown up, has it?" asked Madam Bones.

"No, not yet. But this is a controlled substance," said Williamson.

"I can't explain it," said Fudge, wringing his hands. "I'll have to have a committee explore it further." Fudge glanced at his watch. "Mr. Podmore, this seems like a job for your department."

"Yes, sir," said Sturgis. "I'll get on it right away." Sturgis immediately excused himself from the meeting.

"That doesn't tell us how the Aurors were killed," said Moody petulantly.

"These explosives can kill too, Alaster," said Williamson haughtily. "Potions or curses, it makes no difference, wizards and witches are just as dead."

"And the dementors?" added Lucius. "There have been dementors sighted in muggle London. The papers are rife with stories. We cannot just let them loose to create havoc."

"Indeed," said Moody, and Ginny could almost be amazed. "It appeared that Malfoy and Moody were agreeing on something."

"Of course the dementers, if they are loose, must be dealt with, Mr. Malfoy," added Ginny, still continuing with Voldemort's coaching, that is why Rookwood must be found and detained."- Ginny hesitated, thinking of Rookwood's rather gruesome death before she continued. "Someone, perhaps one of the Ravenclaws," said Ginny glancing at Warren Conlin. Perhaps your department should begin work on creation of a second Pandora's Box."

"That won't work," said Mr. Conlin. Pandora's box is unique. We cannot destroy it, or we loose all the dementors created since the beginning of time. Can you imagine the chaos? Can you imagine how many have lost their dreams since the beginning of time? The dementor are—endless--"

Ginny shivered.

As the hour drew to a close, Ginny felt the sweat trickling down between her breasts although she was not too warm. On the contrary, her hands were cold as a ghost's. Although when Maximus had first brought in the flask she thought perhaps it contained polyjuice, now, it seemed unlikely. She was going to sit right here in front of them all and turn into Ginny Weasley and then Moody would discover her Dark Mark and they would wonder why she did it. Obviously she was insane. They would send her back to St. Mongos.

"_Quit moping," spat Tom. "You need to pay attention."_

"(You need to drink from the flask,)" Voldemort hissed, bringing her back to reality. "(It is time.)"

If it is polyjuice, I'll get sick, thought Ginny. I always get sick on polyjuice.

"_If you throw up, and they realize you've taken polyjuice, you are dead," advised Tom " The aurors might not even wait to see who you are."_

She was sweating profusely now, and Alaster Moody laid his hand on top of hers. "Madam Bones," he said. "Are you ill?"

"No—I,"

"(Tell him you are dizzy—weakness and dizziness are common aftereffects of crucio)." Hissed the little viper in her ear.

_"I know,"_ she thought bitterly. "Just a little dizziness," she said aloud. "It will pass. If someone could get me a glass of water—"

"Here," said Moody, reaching across the table and picking up his hip flask from in front of Fudge.

Ginny took it, hesitating only a moment before, downing a large swallow of the contents. It was indeed polyjuice. She swallowed and then clapped both hands over her mouth, suddenly sick.

It was Malfoy, who came to her rescue transfiguring a quill into a basin with the words, **"Plectrum ad trulla!"** and another almost imperceptible swish at the hip flask in her hand, and another barely audible word, **"Pergo."** He thrust the basin under her face just before she wretched. **"Pergo," **he said again, immediately magicking the sick away.

"Perhaps we should allow Madam Bones to lie down," said Moody. "She obviously still needs the medi-witches' attention. Madam Bones?" Moody picked up the hip flask and brought it suspiciously to his nose, sniffing and then turning it up to his lips to taste, but he stopped realizing the flask was empty.

"(If you screw up this meeting--)" hissed Voldemort angrily.

"I'm fine," said Ginny. "I'm afraid, I consumed a bit of dark magic before Mr. Shacklebolt arrived," she said sheepishly. "I didn't tell anyone. I thought I was stronger than that." She took several deep breaths. "I feel better now. Thank you."

"Get some chocolate in here," growled Malfoy, and Fudge nodded. "Yes, yes. That's a good idea, Mr. Malfoy."

"Leave it to Lucius Malfoy to know the anti-dotes to dark magic," said Moody, his eyes fixed on Lucius.

"As should you," Lucius said evenly. "It's not like chocolate is a secret family recipe."

"No doubt it is, in _your_ family, _Mister_ Malfoy," sneered Moody. After a moment, he turned to face Madam Bones. "I have a request, Mr Fudge, Madam Bones," he said. "Years ago, you remember when Voldemort was at his peak, Aurors were given permission to use more powerful spells on known Death Eaters."

"You are talking about unforgivables," snapped Malfoy. "I will not condone the murder of innocent wizards. They have a right to a trial."

"Why? So they can claim _imperio_?" asked Moody. "Anyway, we're not talking about innocents, are we?" said Moody.

"The death of even one innocent is one too many deaths," said Lucius. "Don't you agree Madam Bones."

Ginny hesitated before answering, "Yes, but—"

"(But that just means we will have to be very careful before we fire,)" Voldemort suggested.

Still Ginny hesitated. "Voldemort agreed with Moody? She was shocked. "I don't know," she began, uncomfortable with agreeing with Moody. Had she heard the little viper correctly?

Sparkles of pain shot through her as Voldemort used his legilimency to tell what was making her hesitate. "(I don't agree with Moody,)" said Voldemort, at last, "(but Madam Bones would. It's not like the policy decided here today is going to go into action, is it?)" Voldemort continued.

Ginny rubbed her tingling arms as she voiced Voldemort's opinions, stating that she felt that the Aurors should have more leeway to kill if necessary, although she could think of no reason why it would be necessary. Any number of stunning or immobilizing spells could be used quite well.

"So what do you think, Mr. Fudge?" sneered Lucius. "Should we just put a few aurors on patrol and tell them to shoot anything that moves? Do you trust your aurors that much?"

"No. no. no.. I in no way agree with upping the Auror's authority. We need to handle this crisis as civilized human beings, and civilized human beings do not fire Avada at one another."

"Perhaps you should send a memo to Mr. Malfoy about that fact," said Moody snidely. I don't think he's learned that particular item yet."

"At least I've learned how to do a first year glamour," said Lucius, and I don't even have to hide my disgusting half nose from the world."

"Not when you could wear a mask," said Moody with cold calculation.

Lucius Malfoy visibly twitched in his chair and he closed his fist around the magic in his hand. His eyes were narrow slits. "Prove it," he growled under his breath.

"Oh I intend to, and in the meantime I don't think one should hide scars of war," said Moody.

"War?" scoffed Malfoy. "Evan Rosier was barely 20—"

"So was young Barty Crouch and I should have killed him when I had the chance," snapped Moody. "No one would have missed him, except Voldemort."

"Is that what you thought about Evan Rosier? But someone did miss him. Did you know that you made an orphan the day you killed Evan Rosier? Her name is Maura. Do you really think it is within the Ministry's jurisdiction to create orphans that the country has to support? Does that make you feel good about your job?"

"Evan Rosier got no more than what he deserved," said Moody.

"He deserved a trial. We are after all a civilized country."

"And the appearance of the law must be upheld, no matter how twisted and broken you make it Malfoy? Is that right" Moody growled.

"Indeed," agreed Lucius, "When the law is broken that is all the more reason to uphold what the masses expect. Isn't that right, Minister Fudge? We can't have all manner of riff-raff questioning our decisions."

Fudge sputtered, unwilling to be drawn into the debate.

"(Stop them,)" Voldemort hissed. "(This is pointless. It is time to finish it. We are nearly at the end of the second hour and everything should be in place.)".

"Enough," snapped Ginny. "Fighting among ourselves is not vanquishing Voldemort."

The entire room turned to stare at Ginny.

"(She does not say my name," said Voldemort. "(No matter.)" He said as the alarms began to blare. "(It is finished.)"

"Or it has just begun?" Wondered Ginny.

Answers to the Reviewers 

**I love all my readers and reviewers. I just love my reviewers more. You don't have to pay for this fic. How much trouble is it to click review? Be a responsible reader. REVIEW. 15 reviews gets the next chapter.**

Adaneth: I hope this chapter explained how Beatrice could be a witch again, and as far as Harry being stupid…well I try to make him as true to canon as possible. LOL

Indubitably: Yes, you are right Voldemort is a god and if you visit my rp, you will know I channel him regularly. I would give you the link to the rp, but considering what you think of me, not-- As far as your scathing review, if I and my stories are such a turn off, please don't read them. Interesting that you got to chapter 23 It always amazes me that the people who flame are the ones who never wrote anything themselves. (Yes, I visited your site) I update exactly on schedule and my readers never need worry that I won't finish a story. I don't think my readers are offended by my remarks about their lack of reviews and since I have the two longest Ginny/Tom stories on fanfic, I think it's obvious I write for the love of writing.

Little Red Rabbit: Here's my update. Right on time.

Jager: Thanks. Nice to have nice reviews.

Trillium: I would say the combo.

Cronenus: Thanks for the review, and thanks for sticking with the story long enough to translate it all to speech files so you can listen to it. You are awesome.

Silverfox: So insightful. Love you, deary. It's readers like you who make it all worthwhile. And you are forgiven for not reviewing, but I really love to hear your comments. It helps me to know I'm going in the right direction. I know if I lose you, I need to explain better because you usually get all the little nuances.

Kemenran: So short and yet so faithful. Thanks for reviewing.

Ammarine: What happens at 5:28? Harry goes to get the girls out of the Snow Castle! Go ahead Ammarine, you have the authority to crack that whip for me. I'll just watch.

Draginlover: Are you happy? Here's your next chapter early. I hated to leave you all with the morbid thoughts of the last chapter. I like the morbid thoughts of this chapter better. LOL. Remember I told you I was debating where to cut the 60 or so pages at the Ministry? Well, it's in 3 chapters. Sorry. People don't review long chapters so I have to assume they don't like them. Review to get the rest. Sorry about killing Tonks. Well, not really. I always thought she was too powerful. As far as Beatrice, and the priori incantum…I'm not sure what your question was. Hermione thought it wasn't up to students to check Edward's wand regardless to what he had done and the whole moral episode of Edward being a Death Eater weighed against Ginny being a Death Eater is brought into play. After all, none of my characters can be pigeonholed into "good and evil" categories. There are even moments when Voldemort makes sense and Dumbledore seems manipulative. That's the whole point of my story. But I'm sure you knew that by now. Why did Beatrice pick this moment to come out of her animagus? Well, there is the story they told Dumbledore which is true and also a little bit of "fate".

Veela Valoom: Yes, this is my distraction from my math homework too. LOL. And I like Beatrice too. I never meant for her to be this big of a character.

Review. Do it right now. Imperio!


	25. CH 25: Innocence Among Evil

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who thought of the title and who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews:** I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She attempts to save both her father and her brother. What will Voldemort do to retaliate if she does?

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**Chapter 25**

**Innocence among Evil**

**By Lady Lestrange**

Potions class seemed to drag on forever. All Harry could think of was in a few short hours he would go to the Snow Castle to get the girls. He would probably face Voldemort. Potions really seemed entirely useless. By the end of the class, Harry's head was throbbing. He sat for a moment with his head down on the table while Ethan cleaned their work table in record time without even asking for help and dashed for the door.

"Harry?" said Hermione placing her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he muttered into his sleeve. "I just have a headache."

"It's Him, isn't it mate?" asked Ron.

Harry lifted his head and looked around the room. Mercifully, Edward had left with his brother. Only Ron, Hermione, Beatrice and Neville were waiting for him as he gathered his books and put away his potion ingredients.

"Maybe the smell of the potion ingredients have given you a headache, Mr. Potter," suggested Mrs. Figg. "Madam Pomfrey will have something for it, or just some fresh air would do you good." She patted his back in a maternal gesture that Harry usually would have appreciated, but today, he was too agitated to be grateful.

"Yes, that will be fine, thank you. I think we will go outside," said Harry as they left the room.

"I feel a little sick myself," said Neville.

"Two and a half hours," said Hermione looking at her watch. "I didn't think Potions would ever be over."

Beatrice gave her a puzzled look.

"That sounds strange coming from you," Ron said. "Wishing a class would be over—"

"I'm just nervous," she replied, and Ron reached out, giving Hermione's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Let's go get a snack from the house elves," suggested Ron. "In case we miss dinner."

"Oh Ron," said Hermione wrinkling her nose. "I don't want anything to eat."

"I think I will go to Madam Pomfrey," said Harry. "I'll need my wits about me tonight, and I can barely see through this headache. Would you bring me back something from the kitchen?" Shesha hissed on his wrist and Harry added, "Bring some raw meat too that I can transfigure into some thing for Shesha and Koschei."

"Argh, Harry," spat Ron. "Do you have both of them with you again?"

"Yes," said Harry, as he pushed up his sleeves revealing Koschei on his left arm and Shesha on his right. "I wanted to give Koschei back to Snape, but he seemed in a hurry." Harry shrugged. "She isn't any trouble," he added, stroking the adder. Shesha slithered further up his arm as he stroked Koschei.

"You are allowed to have an owl, a rat, a toad or a cat as a pet," said Hermione.

"Right," interrupted Ron. "No one said that a basilisk or a poisonous snake was allowed."

"That's venomous," said Hermione.

"Yes, that's what I said," added Ron.

"No, you said poisonous," corrected Hermione. "The correct term is venomous—"

Ron rolled his eyes, and Harry started towards the Infirmary, ignoring his friends' discussion.

Neville stood uncertainly with Harry and Beatrice. "I have to stop in the dormitory first," he said. "I'll meet you in the kitchen, OK Beatrice, " he said as he shifted his books to the other arm, and looked intently at Beatrice.

Beatrice shuffled from on foot to the other looking at the floor. Harry watched her, and wondered what on earth he was doing. Beatrice and Neville were almost a couple before she had darted after Samara and Ginny and got stuck as a bunny. It struck him as ludicrous that he found himself competing with Neville for a girl. Actually, Neville has spent as much time as he had with her, and truthfully, nothing could come of his attraction to her. Hell, he would probably be dead in a few hours. Neville was better for her. He ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. Nothing ever worked out easily for him. It seemed that it wasn't working out easily for Beatrice either. She was still looking at the floor and blushing. "I—uh—I was going to stay with Harry for a while," she whispered.

Neville's face fell. "Ok," he said softly, and then brightened, a false smile on his face. "Sure. I'll see you later, Beatrice."

"No," Harry urged Beatrice, but Neville was already starting to walk away. "Neville wait!"

Neville didn't hear him, or ignored him.

"You should get a snack, Beatrice," Harry continued. "You haven't eaten right for the past two months. You need your strength."

"But I'm going to be here for supper tonight," she argued. "I am not going back to the Snow Castle. After all," she said, "it's supposed to be a stealth mission. The more people that go, the harder it will be to hide them. Even as a bunny I might be recognized. Don't trust any animals at the Snow Castle, Harry. There are a number of unregistered Animagi there. Are you taking the snakes?"

"Basilisk," said Harry absently as he watched Neville hurry away. "Koschei belongs at the Snow Castle. I should take her. Her mistress probably thinks she's dead, but I don't know what to do with Shesha." Ron seems to think that she will revert back to Voldemort if I take her. " Harry muttered to the serpent in parseltongue, "(Would you do that? Would you betray me to Voldemort?)"

Shesha hissed indignantly, not even gracing that question with an answer.

Ron and Hermione could still be heard arguing in the direction of the kitchen as Harry and Beatrice went towards the infirmary. Harry had only walked a few steps beyond the next corridor when a fresh bout of emotion stopped him in his tracks. Voldemort was extremely pleased. No, that wasn't quite it, thought Harry. He was elated, absolutely ecstatic, which probably meant that something quite bad had happened for the side of the Light. Harry's headache vanished like it had never existed, and Harry hesitated wondering aloud if he should tell Dumbledore.

"Tell Dumbledore what?" asked Beatrice.

"I'm sorry," said Harry. "I shouldn't have said that aloud. It's my decision." He clamped his lips stubbornly over his words.

"Oh pfaw," said Beatrice. "You talked to me all the time when I was a bunny, but you've hardly talked to me at all since I'm a witch again. You know I'm the same person I was as an Animagus." She grinned at him mischievously. "Would you feel better talking to my bunny self?"

"No—I—" Harry wracked his brain trying to remember what he had babbled on about in her presence. _"It was so easy to talk to her when she was a bunny."_

"So—I presume you had a vision?" she questioned.

Harry nodded and proceeded to explain that he didn't really have visions, but he did have a connection to Voldemort that was unique. Because of it he sometimes felt what Voldemort felt and right now he wasn't sure how much of the feelings he should reveal to Dumbledore. Maybe he shouldn't tell Dumbledore about Voldemort's feelings at all. It wasn't like he could actually explain it. It was only a feeling.

"You shouldn't feel guilty keeping some things from him," said Beatrice. "You aren't sure what He's pleased about, are you?"

"Well, not for sure," agreed Harry. "But I just think I should—"

"When has Headmaster Dumbledore earned such loyalty from you?"

"It's not about loyalty. He is a brilliant and powerful wizard—"

Beatrice just smiled. "Perhaps he is, but he also has exhibited a severe lack of character judgment in the past. What if he tells the wrong person? Didn't you say there was a spy in the Order? And he hired all those Dark Wizards as teachers?"

"He didn't know—" commented Harry.

"Exactly," said Beatrice.

"But I am loyal to Professor Dumbledore," said Harry. "Sure, he's made mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes. I guess, I'm just looking for a bit of security. I think telling a teacher would make me feel better. I don't know if it would help to get the girls back."

"If this were a duel or a challenge of magical powers, I would say, tell the Headmaster. But it's not." Beatrice shook her head. "And he doesn't know the first thing about stealth. If I told anyone, it would be Professor Snape."

"He knows," said Harry. "He gave us the time to go."

"Then it's decided," said Beatrice.

"Yes," Harry said, staring into her soft brown eyes and suddenly thinking of how soft her fur had been beneath his hands. He reached out to touch her hair.

In answer, she brought her hands up to hold Harry's, leaning her cheek against his hand. "Be careful," she said, backing away and holding his hands tightly in her own. "Don't take any stupid chances tonight, OK?" Her voice dropped to a whisper so soft that he could barely hear her and her wide brown eyes misted with unshed tears. "Because you are very special, Harry Potter."

He nodded without even thinking. "Beatrice, I—"

But he found himself talking to the empty air. She had turned into a bunny and scampered away heading for Gryffindor Tower at a run. He hoped she found Neville, and he hoped she didn't.

Samara found the Ministry building intimidating. It wouldn't be hard to play the part of a lost little girl. She felt like a lost little girl. She didn't want to be here. She had thought that she wouldn't have to be, and would have fought Voldemort on the topic, but Ginny needed her, so when He asked her to come and care for the basilisks, she came without a word of dissent. Samara still felt weak and slightly nauseous even after assimilating the magic or the Dark Mark. Her mind was not on her task, because, although Ginny told her Draco was alive, she hadn't seen him.

The Dark Lord had not allowed her to contact him. He barely let Samara out of his sight until today. He had probed her mind until she had a splitting headache and then he had resorted to veritaserium supplied by none other than her dear Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Severus Snape. She found it didn't work as well as she had once thought because she had definitely lied to the Dark Lord when he had said to outline the width and breadth of her powers. She decided that being with all the Slytherins at the Snow Castle must have brought out her Slytherin side because a few weeks ago, she would have just told him the truth. Of course, telling Dumbledore the truth at Hogwarts hadn't worked well. It only got her into the Chamber or Chains. She shivered with the memory.

Samara glanced at her companions: Alvin Nott, who had his Pandora's box held in an ordinary school satchel which was slung over his shoulder. Ethan and Edward, who were bubbling with barely contained excitement and therefore barely contained magic. The cards given to them outside of the door proclaimed that each was a _"dangerous intruder"._ Samara found this ridiculous since no one attempted to stop them. The closest they got to being caught was when one elderly witch in the lobby of the Ministry exclaimed that the twins reminded her of her own dear grandsons who had moved to Australia to avoid the war with the Dark Forces. She sniffed and hugged the boys, much to their dismay before she was called away by a co-worker who was concerned with a memo which had flown to her desk.

Samara set the first _Confundus Charm_. Then the children moved to the lift and held their breath as they touched the controls with their wands. Immediately the lift began to move. There were no alarms.

"First hurtle past," said Samara.

"Did you think Marshall wouldn't do his job?" asked Alvin as he touched his wand to his Dark Mark.

"Ouch," Samara complained. "That hurt Alvin."

"Sorry."

"Indeed," agreed Edward blowing out his breath. "Onward and upward."

As the lift moved, Samara arranged her basilisks better under her robe and admonished them that they must be quiet and still. Although Voldemort had told her to use their venom as necessary, she wanted nothing to do with ordering them to kill. It wouldn't take much though, she surmised. She had managed to calm the basilisks that Voldemort had for only a day, but those that were imprinted to him were another story altogether. Those three, Cush, Cilicia and Zissi were hissing continuously: "Kill! Bite! Die! Hissusss!"

"Be quiet," Samara demanded and they were finally still and quiet.

By the time the elevator stopped at the top floor, Ethan was dripping elemental fire. "Stop it," said Edward. "Control yourself, or do you really want more lessons with the Dark Lord."

"I think the Dark Lord is preferable to Aunt Narcissa." said Ethan as he sucked the magic back into his hands and Samara noticed that the tips of his fingers blistered with the power of it.

Edward raised an eyebrow.

"I'm serious," Ethan said. "Aunt Narcissa wasn't satisfied with our burning off each others eyelashes once. No. We had to do it twenty times in succession without a mistake. She said she wasn't sending us back to Him incompetent."

"You didn't have time to do that twenty times," argued Edward.

"Have you ever heard of something called a time-turner?" asked Ethan.

"No," said Edward.

"Be glad," said Ethan. "Be very glad."

They moved out onto the floor.

"I'm sorry," said a witch working at the desk. "You can't come up here. It's restricted access. There is an important meeting—" She frowned, obviously wondering how they got by the wards that were supposed to keep unauthorized persons off of the floor.

"I think we're lost," Edward told the witch. "We're looking for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Our Mum Apparated ahead of us—"

The witch's demeanor immediately softened when she realized they were children. "Oh, of course, dear," she said

Alvin opened his satchel and spoke quietly to the dementors inside of Pandora's box.

One of the witches came around the desk to talk to them. "You really are lost. Muggle Artifacts is in the basement."

"Oh, she must have said bottom floor and I thought she said top," replied Ethan.

"Sorry to trouble you," added Samara.

"No trouble," the first witch replied returning to the desk. "Your Mum must have had her hands full with all of you. What are you, but a year apart?"

"He's adopted," said Edward, gesturing to Ethan. The witch laughed looking at the identical twins.

"They're _both_ adopted," Samara put in as the witch approached the lift.

"I'll take you down," she volunteered, but a frantic wizard interrupted her before she entered the lift. "Nanette," he said. "You'd better take a look at this."

"One moment," the witch said, going back to her desk.

"I'm sure we can find it," called Samara.

"Should we call the Minister?" asked the wizard, who was examining the memo.

"Oh, dear," Nanette replied. "I don't know. He can't be disturbed. He's in a meeting—They all are—all the upper staff--"

Her voice droned to nothing as the children entered the lift. "Thank you," Samara called.

"Thank you?" Ethan howled. "You just said thank you. I can't believe it. For what?"

"Thank you for dying," Edward giggled. Their hilarity calmed as the lift moved on to the next level.

Alvin leaned against the side of the lift and closed his eyes. "She seemed very nice," he said.

"And stupid," added Ethan.

"No, the Death Eaters who work for the Ministry knew exactly where to hit them, to put them on edge," said Edward. "That memo really had her worried."

"Ha! Did you see her?" asked Ethan, but Samara interrupted him.

"Touch the Mark," Samara reminded Alvin.

"Right."

Samara clenched her teeth and grabbed her arm.

"Sorry," Alvin apologized. "I'm just nervous."

"You really are a baby, Samara" said Edward. "It wasn't that bad."

"I could kiss it and make it better," said Ethan.

"I'll tell Draco," said Edward raising his eyebrow at his brother.

"Alvin could kiss it and make it better. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Alvin?"

"And what about Lauren?" asked Edward.

"Oh he's been with her way too long anyway," said Ethan. "She isn't even a Death Eater."

"She will be," replied Edward.

"No, she won't," snapped Alvin.

"What do you say, Samara?" asked Ethan clasping her hand and placing a warm wet kiss on the palm of her hand.

"I say, you are already drunk on wandless magic and we aren't even half way through the Ministry. Are you still full of it from last night?" snapped Samara. "What were you doing?"

"Get your wand out and levitate something," added Alvin.

"He's already flying," said Edward.

"But my kisses have all the healing power of phoenix tears," protested Ethan as she backed against the wall of the lift and he worked his way up to her elbow, kissing the skin of her inner arm. Sawa and Cilicia both rose up in preparation to attack and Samara hissed anxiously at them to keep them from biting Ethan.

Ethan jumped back in fear.

"Yeah," giggled Edward, "and any minute he might burst into flame!"

"Bloody hell, Samara," swore Ethan. "Keep those things away from me!"

"Don't worry," laughed Edward. "A phoenix is a match for a basilisk."

Cilicia continued to hiss, "(kill, bite, die, hissusss.)" Cush and Zissi joined her litany until Samara demanded silence.

They arrived giggling at the next floor and a tall thin woman that reminded Samara uncomfortably of Ms. Pince stood and walked around a desk above which hung bold letters, _Licensure: Apparition, Animagi._

"He wants to register an Animagi," said Edward. "He thinks he's a phoenix." Both the twins burst into laughter.

"We are not in the habit of carrying on bad jokes," the woman said haughtily. "Let me see your cards."

"Oh, they aren't always like this," said Samara while she pretended to look for the card in her robe pockets and Alvin set both the _Confundus_ charms and the dementers. "There was an accident," said Samara. "Mum should be here. She finally learned to apparate—"

"Oh there she is," exclaimed Alvin, shoving the three of them ahead of him into the lift after a woman who looked as poised and decorous as Narcissa Malfoy. She looked down her nose at them as if they were the spawn of the devil himself, and edged away from them.

Her very presence stopped the giggling on the ride to the next floor. Even Ethan managed to contain his Fire Elemental, which told Samara he could have controlled it all along.

Because they were just children, they moved unchallenged from floor to floor setting the dementers and _confundus_ charms until they arrived back at the lobby, but they didn't stop there. "Last floor," said Alvin tiredly. "Basement. And then—" He sighed a soft sad sound. "Then, I release them."

Samara nodded her agreement on the lift, but as soon as the lift stopped she slipped behind them. She had to find the Office of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, the Office where Arthur Weasley worked, and she had to do it fast.

Samara glanced around the corner to be sure that Alvin and the twins were busy. Then she sprinted down the corridor, muttering to herself. "Think like a Gryffindor. I'm a Gryffindor. I can do this." She didn't have much time. Cautiously she searched the corridor before turning the corner. If she met one of the Death Eaters here—she shuddered. Well, she would just have to make sure she didn't.

She ran with all she had heedless of who she might meet in the corridor. She paused only a moment to catch her breath at the door. It said, _Dept. of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts_, and below it the sign said, "Come In." The letters were worn, as if the door hadn't been painted in the last remodeling stint at the Ministry.

Samara opened the door and walked in. She looked into the ruddy face of Arthur Weasley, so like her friend Ginny's. He glanced up surprised, and then a frown creased his face. Samara's fear escalated. If he set off any alarms, she was dead. She forced herself to speak.

"Mister—" she began. She almost said Weasley in her nervousness, but caught herself just in time. "I'm a Muggle-born witch," she said carefully. "I have an item—a Muggle artifact." She looked nervously at Perkins who was snoring softly at his desk. His aura was very relaxed, but it wasn't quite the aura of a sleeping person. She glanced back at Arthur as he spoke.

"There are channels, through which the artifacts are supposed to travel," said Arthur Weasley as he stepped forward. "This is rather unusual."

"Ginny told me to speak only to you," Samara said in a soft voice, as she pulled the item from her robe pocket. His face immediately softened as she said Ginny's name and his aura brightened. She felt a pang of sadness, because she had never seen her own parents' aura do that, even when she had been missing for five days, looking for her wand wood.

She held out the item to him. It looked like an ordinary silver hair comb that a girl would wear to hold back her hair. Samara pressed it into his hand. "Take it," she said, realizing that she had already stayed too long. "It's from Ginny. I can't stay." She counted to herself, _one, two, …_

"Ginny? How? Who are you?" said Arthur Weasley.

_eight, nine…"_ She removed her hand from his just as the portkey activated at the tenth second. Arthur Weasley dissolved from the room with the portkey.

Perkins seemed to be still half asleep, his aura was flowing lazily with magic, wand in his hand, and he began muttering something in his sleep. Samara stared at him for a second before she realized he was saying a spell. She raised her wand to stun him, but the old goat was too quick. Without any outward sign of effort, a ward appeared over him, and he snored loudly, but he was not asleep. His aura said he was definitely not asleep.

Samara stared at him for a moment wondering if it mattered at this point. If she was going to save her own skin, she had to get back to her group soon. Ethan and Edward were so wrapped up in their wandless magic they probably wouldn't miss her, but Alvin would. She turned and sprinted into the hall to find Alvin and the twins.

"Where were you?" Alvin asked immediately.

"Sick," she said. "Sorry."

"I understand," said Alvin, his eyes haunted with what he was about to do. "I'm releasing them," he said. "Stay close." Both Samara and the twins laid their hands on Alvin's shoulders as he chanted the words, which released the dementors.

Evil and shadows arise from whence you came

Pandora's box your darkness unchain

Come from your prison, Oh dark and defiled

You are released by Chaos' child

A child born of hatred does set you free.

The twins, white faced, just stared. Samara clutched her wand. At least she could do a Patronus—well, she hoped she could do her Patronus—she had never tried it against real dementers. She knew neither of the twins could manage the spell. They were completely at Alvin's mercy right now. Alvin touched his wand ever so gently to his Dark Mark and Samara felt the faintest tingle of a burn in her arm. It was no more than the heat of touching a hot teacup against your inner arm, but it was enough. All would know that the dementors had been released. Mentally counting down the sixty seconds, Samara squeezed Alvin's shoulder, and Alvin squeezed the box. "I hear them," he whispered. "I hear the screams when they hunt. I hear their victims dying."

"Almost done," she said, wishing she could bring him some comfort.

Harry's headache was back. After two hours relatively pain free, his headache abruptly smacked him between the eyes like the whack of a Weasley bludger. The accompanying rush of emotion was not joy or pain, but excitement, perhaps anticipation. Truthfully, Quidditch is the only thing he could compare this feeling to. It was the adrenaline rush of the Quidditch cup. It was comparable to the moment he saw the golden snitch and knew that victory was at hand. Considering that these thoughts were coming from Voldemort, Harry decided that he had to tell Dumbledore _something._ Maybe he wouldn't tell him everything he felt happened with Samara and Ginny, but Dumbledore had a right to know that something monumental had happened.

He turned toward Dumbledore's office, trying to remember what the password was. Fortunately, when he reached the door to the office, Minerva McGonagall was there. "What are you doing here, Mr. Potter?" she asked pleasantly.

"I have to talk to the Headmaster," said Harry. He touched his scar significantly. "Something's happening," he said.

Professor McGonagall nodded and tapping on the stone gargoyle with her wand, she said, the password.

The door opened slightly, and she went up the stairs into the room, followed by Harry. Snape and Dumbledore, both sitting with their heads together, looked up. Snape's dog thumped his tail on the floor, reminding Harry of Sirius.

"Minerva. Harry," Dumbledore greeted them. Snape said nothing.

"I don't know what He kept Snape from telling you, but Sybil seems to think there is some sort of altercation at the Ministry," Minerva said with a disbelieving snort. "She's staring into the flames trying to see more details. It's so blasted hot up there," said Minerva, "I told her she was going to pass out from the heat, but she wouldn't let me put out the fire. She's going on—something about the fire and the snake." Minerva shook her head in disgust. "I don't think she is much help, but Mr. Potter might be."

"Good. Good," said Albus. "What can I do for you Harry?"

"We should get you to Madam Pomfrey, Severus," McGonagall said to Snape.

Snape gestured angrily at her, and she backed away. "Don't get yourself in a fit Severus! We know you can't tell us what is happening. We'll find out soon enough."

"I—uh--What happened to Professor Snape?" wondered Harry noticing the man's distorted hands. This had just happened, Harry realized. Snape had been fine in DADA class earlier today. _Had he been called to the Dark Lord just a short while ago, sometime in the past three hours?_ The thought made Harry's breath clench in his throat.

Dumbledore continued, telling Harry, "Professor Snape saved Madam Bones when she was attacked last night."

"Death Eaters?" surmised Harry.

Dumbledore nodded. "Voldemort had long suspected Snape was leaking information to me. It seems he finally decided to do something about it."

"It appears he wanted to be sure this latest plan was not leaked to the Headmaster," continued McGonagall. "Voldemort bound Professor Snape's hands and cut out his tongue. Of course we can grow it back, but—such barbarism!"

A second later, one of Albus potted plants on the shelf exploded as Snape glared at it.

Fawkes squawked and flew in a frantic loop around the room avoiding the shards of glass, but the Headmaster had his wand up and already warded the others from the glass..

"Severus?" said McGonagall gently, as Snape waved his opposite hand repairing the broken shards and repotting the plant in one motion of his disfigured hand. He hadn't said a word. He hadn't picked up his wand, but his eyes were glassed over as if he was in pain and his mouth was set in a grim line. Blood trickled from the corner of it. Snape summoned a basin to himself and spat blood into it. Harry realized he wasn't holding the basin right. His hands were charmed so that he couldn't close his fingers around a wand or a quill. Harry didn't know what else had been done to him, but he certainly knew who did it, and thought he knew what it meant.

"Voldemort did this to him," surmised Harry. "He knows you're a spy, doesn't he?"

Snape ignored Harry, instead staring into Albus' eyes attempting to communicate through their common talent of legilimency. Obviously exhausted, he let go of Albus' arm.

Snape stomped his foot hard enough to make the dog at his feet jump in annoyance, and he strode forward, and before Harry could move, he grabbed Harry by the hair that usually covered his forehead. He pulled the hair away from his scar, which was now red and angry looking.

McGonagall looked from Harry to Severus.

Although Harry already knew what Severus wanted, the Headmaster voiced the thought. "Oh yes," said Dumbledore. "Mr. Potter did you have a vision?"

"No," Harry answered hesitantly, "just a—sense of Volemort's emotions."

Why don't you tell us about it?" McGonagal asked, "Maybe it will shed some light on this situation. Sybil certainly didn't," she snorted.

Harry frowned. "Why didn't you just use your legilimency to find out what Professor Snape knows? I would think that would be more accurate. You two can communicate in that manner, can't you?" asked Harry, thinking of what he had just seen.

Snape nodded, and began pacing the room, robes billowing, as Dumbledore answered, "I did. I knew Severus would want me to. Voldemort fed us both false information."

"That means Voldemort _does_ know Professor Snape is a spy," said Harry horrified. "And Voldemort did this to you?"

Snape shook his head no, and then shrugged. The gesture looked completely out of character for the formidable teacher.

"Another Death Eater," said Dumbledore. "Valeriana.Lestrange."

Snape nodded. Harry looked at Snape, wondering why the Dark Lord sent him back instead of killing him. The answer came in a moment.

He had a hunch that it was because Voldemort wanted to distract Dumbledore from what was happening right now. He remembered what Edward had said. It is a distraction, but Dumbledore will have to go anyway. The reactions of his scar had been too vivid for it to be unimportant. "I think we should attack—destroy Voldemort before he can complete his task—whatever it is," said Harry, but Snape growled and shook his head no.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer as he pulled a potion vial out of his pocket. He waved at Harry indicating he should proceed, and sat on the edge of a chair to listen, and drank some of the potion.

"I don't want you trying to stay in contact with Voldemort, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I don't think I have to tell you, it's dangerous. But since you have already made the effort and have come to no harm, perhaps it will help us to understand what Voldemort is planning. What is he doing? Why do you think we should attack?"

But Harry wasn't sure he wanted to tell his feelings now. He had come to Dumbledore in a cloud of emotion. Now that the feeling was ebbing, he wasn't sure he wanted the light to know. He and the rest of the rescue party had all agreed not to say anything about Edward reeking of wandless magic. "Last night, Voldemort gave someone the Dark Mark," said Harry, "And ever since then, the pain has been getting worse. It stopped completely for about two hours and then it came back—worse than ever." He stopped speaking before he told about Voldemort's emotions. He wasn't sure what else had happened. What made Voldemort happy?

"Who?" asked Dumbledore, "Do you know who he Marked?" and Harry looked away. He was pretty sure it was Samara who got the Dark Mark, but he didn't know if he wanted to tell them that. What if he was wrong?

Snape took another sip from the potion bottle, and Harry noted it was a rather strong painkiller before he turned back to Dumbledore to answer the question. "I'm not sure," said Harry, twirling his wand absently through his fingers, and looking at the floor. He looked up when he felt Snape's eyes on him, and accidentally met Snape's gaze. Snape knew he was lying. Perhaps he even knew it was Samara. He could absolutely feel the power emanating from Snape. Suddenly, his wand was ripped from his grasp. It landed in Snape's paralyzed hand even though Snape couldn't close his fingers around it. His black eyes were glittering. Snape stomped his foot again and growled at Harry, flinging the wand back at him with the force of a Bludger.

Harry caught it right in front of his nose, thinking he just narrowly missed having a second scar on his face. Thank Merlin for those Quiddich reflexes.

Even injured, Snape was a formidable foe, and Harry got the message. He wasn't attentive enough to his wand or his thoughts.

He glanced at Dumbledore who was looking at him thoughtfully, and Harry looked away quickly, staring at Snape's dog and consciously attempting to think of something else.

The dog moved over to Snape, whining softly, it laid its big head on Snape's knee. Snape patted it once and then pointed to the corner. Obediently, the dog trotted over to the corner by the fireplace and lay down. Snape took another sip of the pain medicine, and waved his hand at Harry indicating he should continue to tell what he had surmised from the connection to Voldemort.

Harry didn't speak at first, and when he did, he didn't tell any of the details that he suspected. "If Voldemort is planning something big," said Harry standing and pacing towards the door. "I have to find him. The Prophecy says, I'm the only one who can defeat him."

"No, Harry," said Dumbledore.

Snape was on him in a moment grabbing the back of his cloak and lifting him off of the ground. Shesha hissed a warning. McGonagall's spell hit him at the same time and he felt the leg locker curse take effect as he fell into Snape's arms.

"(No Shesha! Stay hidden. Be still Koschei!)" demanded Harry as both serpents tensed to strike.

Snape grunted in pain and pushed Harry into one of the chairs in the room while McGonagall shook her head.

"Tsk, tsk. That boy will never learn," she said, ending her spell with. "_Finite Incantum."_

Snape raised an eyebrow as Harry shoved Shesha back under his robe sleeve and Dumbledore looked over his half moon glasses at him, but he did not explain the presence of the two serpents.

"All Gryffindors are not foolhardy, Severus," McGonagall said, as if she knew what Snape would say if he could speak. She probably did, thought Harry. After all one did not associate with a teacher every day and not learn something about their mannerisms.

"You do not have to defeat Voldemort today, Harry," said Dumbledore. "You can wait until you are older. Wait until you have adult command of your magic. Let the Order deal with him now."

"I was thinking of ways that we could get your tongue back in operation, Severus," McGonagall said to him. "I could transfigure something." She was frowning. "It might be a little tricky—"

Snape shook his head and clamped his lips shut as he dug through his robes for a potion. At last he found it and showed the empty bottle to her.

"Yes, yes, I know you indicated you took the muscle-gro potion, but that will take at least a day, and I could transfigure something in a matter of moments. I'm thinking it would work best if it was something made of muscle in the first place, something which you would not have to concentrate on constantly to control. Why didn't you do this right away, Albus?"

"Because Severus didn't want me to," said the Headmaster simply.

Snape was shaking his head emphatically _no._

"Don't be ridiculous. I've got it!" McGonagall's eyes brightened as she surveyed the books on Dumbledore's shelves. "One of your leeches should do nicely, Severus."

Harry choked as he looked at McGonagall in horror, but his look was bland in comparison with Snape's sneer. "Pity I don't have any ton tongue taffies," joked Harry. "That would grow your own tongue quickly." Snape snapped his fingers and grabbing Harry by the collar pushed him out of the room.

"Your're kidding," said Harry. "You want me to get you a ton-tongue taffy?"

Severus nodded.

"Severus, no," called McGonagall following them into the corridor, but stopping on the top of the steps outside of Dumbledore's office and calling to them.. "You can't control the speed at which your tongue will grow!"

Snape ignored her, hurrying toward Gryffindor Tower, pulling Harry with him while his serpents complained at his treatment. Harry hissed to Koschei and Shesha. "(You will not bite Snape. He is--)" Harry hesitated trying to think of a word that Shesha would understand to describe Snape. At last he gave up. "(He is tsez)."

Minerva McGonagall was still standing on the top of the spiral staircase, when Arthur Weasley and Lauren Avery sprinted into the corridor coming from the dungeon.

"Arthur—" said McGonagall in surprise as Arthur Weasley hurried forward. "What are you doing here?"

"I had wondered the same thing," said Arthur.

"Thank you, dear," said Arthur addressing Lauren.

"You may go back to your common room, Miss," McGonagall said, dismissing Lauren Avery. The girl lingered for a moment as they turned back to the Gargoyle, which Dumbledore had opened. "Arthur, come up," he exclaimed as he invited them into his office. "This is a surprise."

"Yes, for me too," said Arthur as he unwrapped his handkerchief from around a silver comb. "A young girl came into my office. She said she was a Muggle-born witch and told me she had a Muggle Artifacts item, although usually they come through channels, she seemed upset, and then she said it was from Ginny, so I took it from her, and ended up in the Slytherin common room. Portkey. It was stupid really. I just didn't expect trickery from a child."

"None of us ever do, Arthur," said Dumbledore shaking his head.

They all examined the comb that belonged to Ginny Weasley. "I didn't know that Ginny could make a portkey," said Arthur mystified, "and why to Slytherin Common Room? Why not to Gryffindor, Albus?" he asked.

As the alarms blared, Moody jumped to his feet, his shield falling about him even as he pulled his wand and strode toward the door. Malfoy fired _Avada Kedavra_ at Moody, but he simply was not there when the spell ricocheted from the wall, dispersing into a green haze. Malfoy swore and cast again at the Ravenclaw, Warren Conlin, who crumpled dead, and then he turned toward Percy.

"No!" screeched Ginny. **_"Testudo!"_** The diving leap she made in front of her brother belayed her age as Madam Bones, but the polyjuice was already starting to dissolve from her body. She felt her fourteen-year-old self beginning to grow new life into the old bones she had inhabited for the last two hours. She didn't know how much of the change was visible yet, but everything was happening at once. Lucius hissed in anger as Ginny struck his wand arm, causing his spell to go awry. He immediately turned attacking one of the senior members who had fired at him, but had only connected with Ginny's _Testudo_ shield.

Moody had pushed forward somehow, breaking the enchantments that protected the meeting room door. The ranking senior officers began clustering behind him, still firing spells at Malfoy and Fudge and _her_!

She blocked frantically, trying to think of a single spell to throw back. Her mind was infuriatingly blank.

_Tom began suggesting spells in rapid succession—burning, cutting, and strangulation_

Ginny ducked an Auror's spell, and blocked again, trying to decide what spell would get the Aurors to back off and give her some breathing room. She knew she was doing exactly what Snape had told her not to in advance defense. She was warding _testudo_ on spells that would have been held by _impedimenta,_ and she couldn't seem to think of a single spell to through back at them.

"The seniors cannot be allowed to bring order yet," hissed Voldemort in her ear. "They must be detained or killed." Ginny repeated Voldemort's order verbatim and Percy turned, wand drawn, frantically trying to decide if he should fire on Mr. Fudge or his own sister. When she spoke to give orders to the Death Eaters, he decided upon Ginny.

For a brief moment their eyes met, and she saw his fear and confusion that it was she who was ordering the Death Eaters. **_"Stupefy!"_** he called.

She blocked and cursed him with her Bat-Bogey Hex which he blocked effortlessly from long practice at the Burrow.

"Percy!" she cried, continuing to block "Please. I don't want to hurt you!"

At that moment, Moody wrenched the door open and stood facing the ominous group of children. Ethan and Edward were in front, of Samara and Alvin. Ethan was dripping fire from his fingertips. "I heard you were looking for us," said Edward in a cool voice.

"Well, here we are," Ethan gestured to himself, flinging flames about the corridor. They caught on the robe of a fallen man in the corner and Ginny realized he was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Blood was running from his nose. The appearance of blood meant that Kingley had not died from _Avada_. Of course, he might not even be dead. No, Ginny corrected, he was dead. She shivered.

The twins' next movement was calculated. Edward grasped Ethan's hand and Ethan engulfed the entire corridor in flames, forcing Moody back into the room.

Moody lowered his wand, growling a spell at the twins, but one of the officers Robert Fair, grabbed his wrist. "They are children!" he cried. "You can't hurt children!"

That was his mistake. Ethan sent another blast of Elemental fire into the room itself and Ginny immediately tried to shield her fellows with Elemental water. She and Lucius had acted in concert, both shielding with the Elemental water, and she looked at Lucius hand gripping her left wrist. She felt something familiar in his magic and realized with a sick feeling that he too had written in the diary. Something like laughter reached his eyes, but he released her and strode forward, yelling, "Moody! You damned coward! Where are you?" When she looked back at the door, Moody had disappeared. "I thought you were a Gryffindor!" Lucius taunted.

"Bloody hell" muttered the snake in her ear and he slithered off of her shoulder, transforming into his semi-wizard self as a group of adult death eaters burst into the room. just as Ginny felt her Mark burn.

"Master," said another Death Eater who hurried in from the corridor. "The dementers are called back—We are in possession--"

Ginny rubbed her tingling Mark as he spoke. At the same time a flickering of power indicated the disruption of the Ministy shields. Her eyes met Samara's as her friend edged into the room and gave her a barely perceptible nod, indicating her father was safe.

_Shit! That old geezer, Perkins had probably dropped the apparition wards,_ thought Samara. _After all, he knew Arthur Weasley disappeared, and it wasn't hard to figure out that she had given him a portkey. It was obvious that the comb was a portkey, but she couldn't be sure that it was Perkins who had set the alarm. Maybe it was someone else's fault. Maybe the Dark Lord wouldn't find out what she had done. Maybe the sun wouldn't rise tomorrow, she thought bitterly. Of course he would know. He would look at her and he would know. _She glanced at Him now. He was so fully in the moment, maybe he wouldn't realize—

"Kill! Die! Hissusss!" began the basilisks excitedly and Samara tried to calm their blood lust.

"Fuck! They can apparate," swore Voldemort as he stalked past Samara. "Quickly, as many as you can capture—He whirled on the room which still contained a number of Ministry employees. "**_Stupefy!_** The simple spell, spoken with frightening power, rendered several Ministry officials unconscious, including Percy.

"Come!" Voldemort demanded, striding into the corridor, expecting his Death Eaters to immediately follow.

Ginny didn't hesitate. She dropped to her knees beside Percy. **_"Ennervate!"_** she whispered, he groaned and opened his eyes.

"Sis?"

"Apparate!" she snapped.

"Ginny, come on," urged Samara, arranging all eleven basilisks under her robe and ordering them to silence.

Percy rubbed his head and looked at them in fear and amazement. "No—Sis—I"

"NOW!" she hissed pressing his wand into his hand, "Go home!" and Percy raised his wand. **_"Itare Phantasma!"_** he said as Ginny and Samara ran to join the Death Eaters in the corridor.

****

**Answers to Reviewers**

Ammarine: You thought the last chapter was "slow!" Slow! How dare you! It has my favorite line from Lucius Malfoy to Moody. Sigh…

Mistrunner: First time reviewer! Gosh, you have held out quite a while to review. Did you have any particular reason why you didn't? Maybe it will help me to understand the 200 people who read and didn't review for this last chapter. Sigh. And other says must be nerve wracking stuck in Volde's clutches and waiting for something that never comes..Ha! In JK's books we only see Volde once a year at the end of the year, and you are complaining. You guys are so spoiled.

Oreo: Sorry about the long break. It takes 200 readers to get 15 reviews. I don't know why. Maybe you can enlighten me.

FieldofGold: K, Here's the next chapter.

Chernobyl: Your review cut off in the middle and I was really hoping to hear your whole opinion. Oh well. Anyway, glad you liked. I know Samara has quite a bit of power, but mostly only with shared magic and she does have some weaknesses too. As far as having so many basilisks, it only takes one to kill you, so the others are sort of over-kill and actually sort of a liability.

Wormtail: Sorry I killed you off. My writing is fast enough. It is the reviewing that needs to be faster.

Raptors galore: I think you were review number 11 or something. Not close to 15, but keep reviewing and the chapters will keep coming.

SwimminChica14: I never meant for Ginny to "just keep Samara company" They have different views on the Dark Lord and different ways of dealing with him—as do Draco and Harry or some of the others. That is going to come to play shortly. The point being, that a creature like Voldemort is not going to fall with the curse of one boy even if he is the boy who lived. Instead, it will take the cooperation of very different folks as well as Harry and some surprises.

Jen: Maybe, and maybe not. You know Harry. He resists getting involved in relationships. He is such a troubled young man.

Trillium: OK since you seem to leave your review stuff and your computer is possessed, be sure to use control c to copy it before you click send. Then if it goes away, you will still have it to send to me. I really love your long reviews. More Bea to come.

DragonLover: What is happening at 5" Oh gosh you guys need ennui's questions at 5 whatever is when the wards will be down at the Snow Castle so they can go get the girls. Do you believe Snape is helping them? Also, thanks for your vote of confidence about "Indubitably" I never can figure out why people give caustic reviews. I would appreciate constructive criticism, but if I really hate a story, I don't take the time to review at all.

Fire sprite 16: Yes that did have a lot of information and I hope it answered some questions of some of the readers. Will Tom ever get out of Ginny's head and have his own body? She asks. Well, at the risk of discouraging you from reading "this story". I will tell you that Tom's body will not be truly Ginny's until the next book, but that doesn't mean you should desert me. You need to read this one to understand. Lots of stuff to come.

Little Red Rabbit: "What has just begun?" Why Ginny's true "taking part as a Death Eater." After all, at Durmstrang she was just involved in saving people.

Silverfox1; Nope, this wasn't Ginny's big moment. That is yet to come, but I did enjoy writing the Lucius/Moody stuff. Beatrice being back might present some complications but of course that is what fiction is all about. No comment about Snape or Draco this chapter? Hmmmm.

Kemenran: More coming.

**Authors Note**:

Please read and review soon so I can put up the next chapter ASAP These "Ministry chapters" seem to belong close together and if they are not, you are going to forget what is happening. I would like to see 10 reviews by tomorrow, and I will put up the next chapter then. Can you do that folks? I think you can. I need your support. I'm feeling a little discouraged by the lack of interest in the yahoo group right now, so please review. It doesn't have to be an "ego stroke" review. Be honest. Tell me if you like this better than the first story. Am I getting better as a writer? Or did you like the BROKEN BEGINNING better. That way, I will have a better focus for the next book.

Thanks again. Love you all.

Kisses and curses,

--Lady Lestrange


	26. Ch 26 Broken Trust

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 26**

**Broken Trust**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who thought of the title and who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews:** I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She attempts to save both her father and her brother. What will Voldemort do to retaliate if she does?

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**Chapter 26**

**Broken Trust**

**By Lady Lestrange**

Snape and Harry hurried along the corridor and climbed the stairs. It was only when they reached Gryffindor Tower that Harry realized that Snape had taken him seriously. Would ton tongue taffies work? He wondered.

"Password?" said the fat lady.

Snape prodded Harry roughly, and Harry grinned at him. It felt rather good to have Snape in his debt. "Puppy Puffs," said Harry at last.

Snape left Harry at the door and strode quickly up to the seventh year dorms and pounded on the boys' door. Lee Jordon opened it and stared in open-mouthed amazement. "Professor Snape?"

Snape stepped into the room and growled. The Weasley twins weren't there. Snape prodded Harry. "What?" said Harry, being deliberately obstinate. It wasn't like Snape would thank him later no matter what he did. Snape grasped his arm roughly.

Suddenly a sharp pain pierced through Harry's scar. At first he thought it was something that Snape did with his legilimency, but Snape had let go of Harry's arm and clutched his own. The movement was slight; immediately, he dropped his arm by his side. Again he was the impassive, unshakable teacher that Harry knew and loathed, but he couldn't hate him so much as to send him to Voldemort without a tongue if he could help it.

"Wait," said Harry, and Snape turned. "Do you have any ton tongue taffies?" Harry asked Lee.

"No," said Lee. "But the twins keep their stash here." He pulled open a drawer and Snape took one of the candies, and nibbled off a tiny piece, grimacing as if the candy were poison.

Lee stared at him.

"That's –um two sickles?" said Lee as Snape turned and practically ran from the room. "Slimy git," muttered Lee.

Harry darted after Snape, wishing that he still had the Invisibility Cloak in his pocket. Snape stopped once and pushed Harry harshly away from him, when they passed the Great Hall, but Harry was tenacious. "_I'm_ the one that's supposed to kill him," said Harry. "_I have to go with you_." Snape shook his head no, and kept walking. "I know you can Apparate us close to him, without letting him know I am there. It's a perfect time to save Samara and Ginny," argued Harry. "I'll make them a portkey home and I'll stay and—and finish it with--with Voldemort."

Snape snorted his disgust with Harry's idea, and pointedly ignored him, taking another nibble of the taffy.

Harry hesitated only a moment before following. "Look," said Harry bluntly. "He's going to kill you., Professor. I know we haven't been—close, but you've done a lot for the Order thus far and," Harry whispered. "I don't want you dead." Snape raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the one that says rushing into danger is the height of stupidity? So why don't you take your own advice?"

Snape shook his head and started to walk away, taking yet another tiny nibble of the taffy. When he finally spoke, his word were slurred as if he was drunk. "shunite," he said.

"Tonight?" Harry repeated. "What about tonight?" Harry asked, thinking of the time that Snape had told Draco, 5:28.

Snape stopped turning to look at him, struggling to make his tongue work properly. "sime," he said, "thusting ew—"

Harry looked at him blankly, and Snape growled, giving him a small shake.

"The time," said Harry. "I understand you. The time you gave Draco, 5:28, but—" He gave Harry a brief nod and then started to walk away again.

"But what's the difference?" Harry persisted, jumping forward and latching on to Snape's sleeve again. "Now or tonight, except that tonight you might be dead. I should go now."

"No!" ordered Snape, the word coming out with amazing clarity. "No Minisssy," he repeated, turning and pacing away. "Pommis me. Thware."

"But," Harry reached out and caught his robe sleeve pulling him around face to face. Snape reacted instantly, pinning Harry to the wall, magic crackling with the _adhere_ spell although Snape had used neither wand nor word. The glare Snape gave him almost killed him on the spot.

"NO!" Snape growled, getting his tongue around the word he wanted to say. "Swear!"

"Okay," croaked Harry through the binding spell that Snape had put on him. "I swear. Binding wizard's promise. I won't go to the Ministry."

Snape shook him as if to emphasize the point.

"I said I swear I won't go. I'll wait and I'll go for the girls, at 5:28," said Harry and Snape released him.

Snape nodded and shoved away from him, striding again purposefully to the dungeon. Again, Harry followed. When Snape stopped, he waved Harry away from him, but Harry didn't move.

Snape shrugged and with his eyes still on Harry, stuck the point of his wand in his mouth, muttering something unintelligible. The shudder that shook Snape, brought Harry to his side again, but he turned away from Harry, spitting a bloody mass on the stone floor, and Harry looked at it, sudden nausea rising as he realized it was the severed grotesque shape of Snape's newly grown tongue.

Fighting disgust, Harry wondered why Snape had grown the tongue if he was just going to cut it off again. _What had he done? Said? He only reminded Harry of the time, and—_Harry looked after Snape, but without a sound, Snape turned a corner and was gone.

Harry slammed his hands against the stone wall. Obviously there was a secret passage, he felt along the stone looking for some way to open it. Maybe it opened with a touch, because Snape had opened it without a wand or voice. On the other hand, Snape had definitely used magic to pin him to the wall just a moment ago so what was to stop him from silently using magic to open the passage? "Damn it, damn it, damn it all! Why does this always happen to me?" muttered Harry as he felt his way the length of the corridor. "Where's the passage? I know it's here."

_Maybe I should speak to it_, thought Harry, and, frustrated, he looked for a snake to help his speech, but he didn't see any. Shesha stirred at his wrist and he wondered why he ever doubted he could speak the parseltongue. "Open!" he hissed.

Immediately one of the walls dissolved showing a long corridor. From the cool fresh smell, Harry realized that the passage led out of doors. He started to run, but by the time he reached the open air that was beyond Hogwarts' Wards, Snape was no where in sight. Harry stood silently looking out into the twilight wondering what he could have done differently. _Nothing_, he decided. He did all he could.

Voldemort strode into the corridor, disposing of several guards with ruthless efficiency before his Death Eaters caught up with this long stride. Lucius and Stergis matched his stride, followed by Fudge. "Edward, Ethan, Alvin," said Voldemort. "Clear this floor. Kill anyone who comes off of this lift or Apparates in. Alvin, use Pandora's Box if you need to, but keep the dementers on this floor. When your Mark burns again, draw them back to the box and Apparate to me.

"Ethan and Edward, you go back to Hogwarts with the other children." He waited for their obedient, "Yes Master," before turning to the others.

"Samara, you come with us. I want my basilisks with me. Virginia, you can take your basilisk back from Samara now. Stay with me, I will be needing the rest of your polyjuice shortly." With that, Voldemort stepped into the lift, checking with the Death Eaters on every floor as they descended. Lucius moved in front of his Master as they approached the lower floors. The atmosphere was thick with fear. Voldemort could smell it and taste it and feel it crackling like a fire gone wild. It was beautiful. In the distance, he could hear the screams and realized that the lower floors were still in contention. When the lift doors next opened, a panicking wizard dove for it.

_"**Avada Kadavra,"**_ said Lucius, and in a shimmer of green the man collapsed.

"He was a pureblood," admonished a soft feminine drawl and Voldemort recognized Narcissa's petulant tone as she turned to stun several others who apparently couldn't Apparate or didn't realize the wards were down. Voldemort stepped over the bodies and with a detachment born of immortality he followed the sound of the shouts and screams.

"Valeriana! Walden!" called Voldemort. "We need Apparition wards back up under our control, right now! I want this building secure. Fudge, delay the Aurors at the front gate. We need a little more time."

"Yes, Master," they replied, and several Death Eaters came forward to engage the ministry employees they had been trying to subdue. Several more Ministry employees were strewn across the floor in varying degrees of consciousness, some hexed, some dead. Voldemort stepped over them too, heading for the double doors that opened into the Central Floo Network where Marshall Avery, Marietta Edgecomb, and her mother, Eithne Edgecomb were working. Draco Malfoy, along with Vincent Crabbe and Dolores Umbridge were standing guard over their actions.

Voldemort, a man with a purpose, ignored the chaos and turned back to the elder Edgecomb. Every one of his death eaters had a job to do, and he expected that they would obey him without question. The plan was no longer a fragile thing in his mind. The ruthless perfection of it thrilled him and he intended to make it a reality.

"Have you secured the Floo yet?" Voldemort asked.

"Not yet," replied Eithne Edgecomb. "We're working on it."

"But we have universal communications taken care of," said Marshall. "The transportation will only take another few minutes.

"One way," Voldemort reminded them with a smirk.

"For Dumbledore," Edgecomb agreed.

Voldemort called several adult death eaters to help those who were resetting the wards. "And hurry," he urged. "We don't have much time until those that fled regroup. They are Aurors after all."

"Carman, start to gather the children. All of you, go with Carman--back to Hogwarts or the Snow castle. You have done an adult's job today. You should be proud."

There was a hiss of spells and the straining of wood and mortar as someone smashed against a wall somewhere, and Voldemort swore. "Where's the Apparition wards? I said Hurry! I came for a take over, not an attack. If I lose the advantage now and have to retreat, you will regret it! Walden!" Voldemort snarled.

Shouts and commands were heard from outside, and then a distinct cheer from the Aurors.

_Reinforcement has arrived from the side of the Light_, thought Voldemort. "Lucius?" He shouted

"Here My Lord," said Lucius standing at Voldemort's right hand with Narcissa beside him.

"Alvin has secured the top floor for our meeting with Dumbldore. It is time to bring our adversary," said Voldemort. He gestured vaguly to Narcissa, and the little band of death Eaters that he had previously chosen to accompany him. Lucius hurried to do his bidding.

"Walden! Apparition Wards," he shouted again, thinking that Walden was owed a _Crucio_ for working so slowly on the wards. "Lucius, fire the Mark for Alvin. Valeriana, come here." He shoved up her sleeve and touched her Mark, calling "Severus Snape! You take your spells off of Severus, Valeriana. It's time for him to re-join us." He grasped her chin in his hands and squeezing slightly, looked into her dark hooded eyes. "And don't dally with him," Voldemort warned. "You both have jobs to do."

"Yes, Master," Valeriana said meekly. She grinned cheekily at Snape as he apparated next to her and the Master. Snape ignored her and bowed to Voldemort, but Voldemort had already moved on. Valeriana clasped Snape's shoulder. "Cat got your tongue?" she purred in a low deep voice but Snape glared at her. "Oh you're no fun, Severus," she snapped as she released the spells that had crippled his hands and his voice.

"The Master did not order us to have fun," said Snape, calmly. "I trust you have something to do." Before she could answer, he had disapperated, apparently to do his Master's bidding.

Carman and the children had gathered around Voldemort. . "Is there anything else Master, before we go?" she asked.

"Just take the rest of the children home to the Snow Castle and make sure my castle isn't in pieces when I return. You need to wait for Alvin and the twins. They are only ones missing now," said Voldemort as he surveyed the group around her. "Be sure they and the others return to Hogwarts in time for dinner, or they will be missed."

"Yes Master," said Carman.

"Quickly people," Voldemort urged. "Lucius, you are in charge here. Your team and Sturgis' team can give the Aurors a proper welcome when they come." He gestured to the front door of the Ministry and with a smirk continued. "I'm off to surprise Dumbledore. Narcissa let's go! Anyone who can't do a Patronus, get out now!"

"After my sister is finished with Dumbledore, may she go with me to get Lauren?" asked Valeriana, catching his hand in her own.

"Yes, of course," said Voldemort, impatiently shaking off Valeriana's hand. "I understand you are missing your third witch in your circle."

Valeriana clutched his hand again and kissed it. "Thank you Master. May I have the honor of accompanying you to Dumbledore's death to wait for her?"

Voldemort paused running a long finger down her cheek. "Of course, you may do more than that, my Dear. You may join Narcissa in guarding my back," he said, looking over her head at the sound of Alvin Nott's Apparition. "Crabbe and Goyle need a brain among them after all," he said shortly.

Alvin, Ethan and Edward Apparated before him and he hurriedly looked around for the boy's father as he spoke. "Alvin, give the Box to your father now, and go quickly with Carman. I want all of the children safely back at the Snow Castle before the dementors are released again."

"Yes, Master," said Alvin and the twins.

"Eldon," Voldemort addressed Alvin's father. "I hope to keep my Death Eaters as safe as possible. Do you have the pattern of which floors are to be flooded with dementers and which should be free of dementors?"

"Yes, Master."

"Remember, before you release the dementors, fire your Mark as a warning, so that any Death Eaters can get off of the designated floors." He smiled grimly at Eldon. "Be cautious," he said. "You will earn a _crucio_ for every Death Eater kissed. Keep control of your creatures."

Eldon nodded and his hands shook. "Yes Master. I understand."

"Good," said Voldemort, pausing to go over the plan one last time in his head. _Edgecomb and Avery will have the floo and Apparation wards up and the Aurors will be trapped._ "Soon the aurors will be as soulless as we always knew the bastards were," said Voldemort in a low tone. "Remember to keep the creatures outside of the Deputy Minister's Office. I don't want to have to contend with Dementors and Dumbledore at the same time, until I am ready for them. When your Mark burns, Eldon, come to me. It will be time to release the dementors."

"Yes, Master." The man was visibly shaking, his fingers white as they gripped the Box.

Voldemort passed his hand over Eldon Nott's Mark, filling the man with pleasure. "Have I told you how pleased I am to have you back in the Circle?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, Master. Several times," said Nott practically drooling with the ecstasy that Voldemort bestowed upon him. Some of the color came back into his face and his shaking stopped.

"It must be true then," said Voldemort turning towards the select group that was to accompany him to Dumbledore's death. "Virginia, the polyjuice."

The girl took one step forward and stopped.

Meanwhile, Narcissa had started to strip off the Death eater mask and stalked to Ginny, ripping the vial from her hands as Virginia's basilisk rose from her neck in anger.

"Be still!" Voldemort hissed at the basilisk interrupting its strike. "She means no harm to your mistress."

"Mistress?" questioned Visha.

"No harm," Ginny agreed, her eyes met his, and he smiled at her. He was proud of Virginia's performance this evening. She had overcome much. It was a pity he couldn't reward her as she wished. He could not allow her to go to that nest of Muggle-lovers she called home. He turned from Virginia, watching Narcissa's silvery blonde hair darken to the gray locks of Madam Bones as she swallowed the polyjuice.

Lucius touched his wand to his Dark Mark, but still hung back a moment behind the other Death Eaters to kiss Narcissa as she changed. "Sorry, Love, Lord Voldemort's orders," he said as he hit her with a curse and she crumpled to the floor just as the Apparition wards went back up, this time under Death Eater control. Walden gave a little cry of glee and sprinted for the lift.

"Hurry up, Lucius," called Edgecomb.

There was a shout behind them and everything happened in that moment: the Aurors breaking through the front door and sprinting around the corner, the shower of sparks from several unknown curses and Draco Malfoy suddenly barreling into Him, shouting **_"Testudo!"_** The boy's magic, hot and sure falling all around him, and Samara's screech of fear as Draco fell, hit by some curse meant for Voldemort, and the lighting fast movement of basilisks as they followed her shrill command echoing Voldemort's as she pointed at the Aurors, "Kill them!"

Samara raced for Draco's side, but Lucius got there first, Apparating from one side of the room to the other and scooping Draco into his arms. In a moment, he had disappeared. Although Samara studied the signature, she did not know where he went.

The nearby Death Eaters scattered from the venomous basilisks, but they need not have bothered. They couldn't escape if the basilisks had been targeted to them, but they weren't. Either Voldemort or Samara or both of them had communicated perfectly to the basilisks which wizards to kill. Only one Auror managed to side step the basilisks long enough to get off another spell, but it was not thrown at Voldemort, it was thrown at Samara. The voice laced with pain, muttered, _"**Avada Kedavra!"**_

She attempted to use her power to shield herself, but it was only the man's weakened state that saved her. Even so, she reeled as though struck by a speeding Bludger. Voldemort himself dragged her out of harm's way, shoving her at Ginny as He said, "Collect my basilisks and get out of here—both of you—go with Carman—hurry before the last portkey's gone."

"I want to go home," snapped Ginny, grasping his robes. "You promised me, if I did this you would let me go home!" Her eyes were wide and wet with unshed tears.

"Then it was a worthwhile promise," Voldemort said, "Since you obeyed me, when otherwise you would not have done so."

Ginny felt as if the life was sucked out of her. She stared at Voldemort, tears of frustration rolling down her cheeks as she realized he wouldn't let her go home.

_"Come now, Ginny Love," said Tom. "Did you really expect him to tell you the truth?"_

Meanwhile, the basilisks were all hissing and spitting. "Kills who hurts Tsez," claimed Salacia

"Kills all" said Tse, and the basilisks would speak only to each other.

"Bite. Kill. Die. Hisssuss!"

"You aren't going to let me go home, are you?" asked Ginny forlornly.

"Of course not, you silly girl. You are much too valuable to me at my side."

"But the emerald—" began Ginny.

"Yes," said Voldemort shortly. **_"Imperio!_** You will find my emerald, at the earliest possible moment, but not now. Right now you need to see that my basilisks come to no harm." He gave her a physical push. "Return to the Snow Castle with the others," he said gruffly. "Keep my basilisks safe." In a flash, he had disapperated.

The basilisks paid no heed to Ginny until all the Aurors who had attacked Samara and Voldemort were dead.

"Tell them, Visha. Tell them they must come with me," pleaded Ginny, but the basilisks had tasted blood and would not be turned from their task.

Voldemort scooped up the crumpled body of Madam Bones and positioned her in front of the floo. "Is our little masquerade ready?" he asked Edgecomb and Avery.

"Yes Master," said Eithne standing ready with her wand. "We will allow only Dumbledore to come through, and then we will close the access."

"How do we know he won't send the Aurors first?" cautioned Avery.

"Because he's Dumbledore," said Voldemort. "Of course he will be first."

"Do you want me to _Ennervate_ her?" asked Edgecomb gesturing to the still unconscious Narcissa Malfoy.

"No," said Voldemort. "We will wait for her to wake naturally. I don't want to disturb the signature of Lucius' hex on her. Dumbledore will see it and be lulled into believing she needs saving."

Within moments Narcissa began to stir. She held her head and moaned as she raised herself to a sitting position.

"Everyone, move back, out of sight," Voldemort ordered as he drew his wand. "Ready my dear?" he asked.

"Yes," said Narcissa Malfoy, and taking a deep breath, she opened the floo, saying: "Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Madam Bone's voice echoed through Dumbledore's office. "Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Minerva gasped as she turned towards the fireplace. "Amelia!" she whispered, "Sweet Merlin! What happened?"

"Lucius Malfoy," she said, blinking her eyes hard as if she was having trouble focusing on them. "We're under attack; a handful of Death Eaters surprised us."

"Where are you, Amelia?" asked Dumbledore.

"Ministry," began Madam Bones, but the fire flickered, obscuring her face in the flames. "I'm afraid they've found the floo connection," she said, looking over her shoulder. The flames flickered again, and Madam Bones said, "I'm going to lose the connection."

Whipping his wand from his pocket, Dumbledore said to Arthur, "Go to Grimmauld Place. You and Molly can organize and bring the others from the Order. I'm going directly to the Ministry." He stepped up to the open floo.

Minerva pulled her wand too. "I'm going with you Albus," she said.

He threw the powder and stepped into the floo. "Ministry of Magic," he said.

Minerva followed, taking a pinch of floo powder and when the flames glowed green, she stepped into the fireplace. "Ministery of Magic," she said. The floo exploded, sending Minerva careening into the unsuspecting Arthur Weasley.

"Merlin," snapped Arthur looking down at his unconscious colleague. He checked to see that she had a pulse and then reactivated the fire, yelling into it. "Poppy!"

Madam Pomfrey's confused face appeared in the flames. "Arthur, what are you doing in Albus' office?"

"Nevermind that," he said. "Albus is in trouble at the Ministry, and Minerva's hurt. Get up here right away. I'm going to Grimmauld Place to alert the Order."

The Order of the Phoenix had assembled outside of the Ministry, and split up trying to get into the building. Dementers made it impossible to enter the Ministry from this entrance. Apparition wards were up and not under Ministry control.

"They are trying to herd us in the front door," said Lupin. "It's a trap."

"I've got it," said Sirius. "I'll transform to my Animagus and sneak in another way."

"No," interrupted Lupin. "They wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the wards passable by Animagi. You'll still be a target."

"They were in a hurry," said Sirius. "The wards might not be that specific. I'll chance it. Dumbledore needs at least one of us. I'll find Dumbledore and try to get the wards down." He smiled at his friend. "Don't worry. You'll find me with that werewolf nose."

"No!" said Lupin. "It's too dangerous. The place is crawling with dementors."

"Then you'd better follow soon with your Patronus," said Sirius. "Mine sucks you know."

Percy apparated to the Burrow. The kitchen was cold and dark—empty. For just a moment he panicked. _Where was his mother?_ For years, when he had been a child, she had always been here, waiting in the kitchen. Every time he needed her, she was there, and now when he most desperately needed her she wasn't here.

He closed his eyes trying to make sense of what had happened. Thoughts and images flashed through his mind in a lightening quick sequence. Madam Bones, Ginny, Minister Fudge, Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort… He couldn't think. Voldemort's blanket Stupefy spell had given him a tremendous headache and it hadn't even been directed specifically at him. _Such power_, thought Percy. _How could he have such power so soon?_ He thought about Harry's claims that Voldemort had risen last year after the Triwizard Tournament.

After the Triwizard Tournament that brought so many changes in his life. Percy had been so happy that he wasn't made to pay for his blindness to Crouch's _Imperius_ or even for Crouch's death. It could have cost him his job. It was a mistake. He was young. He was forgiven. Not only did he get to keep his job, but also Fudge asked for him as his Personal Assistant. He was the Personal Assistant to the Minister. He was somebody! He was so proud.

His family had said they were proud of him, but later, his father had taken him aside. _Do you think it is possible that Fudge wants a Weasley in his office so that he can keep an eye on us? _Of course not, Percy had snapped. How dare his father even consider that he got the promotion because of some imagined sinister agenda of Minister Fudge. It was unbelievable! He didn't want to believe it. Fudge was a fine upstanding citizen, a servant of the people, _a servant of Voldemort,_ Percy thought with a catch in his throat. His father had been right.

How could he be so stupid? He had argued with his father and moved out of the burrow. He had sent back the sweets his mother owled him. He had sent back every good thing his parents had given him. He was so sure that they were wrong. But it was he who was wrong. How could he have been so wrong about Crouch, about Fudge, about his family? He looked around at the darkened kitchen again. _Where was his mother? She was always here._ He needed her and she was supposed to be here! He rubbed his head and realized that tears were leaking from his eyes. _Stupid Git_, he chided himself. _There were people dead! How dare you even consider your headache! Are you a Gryffindor or not?_

He marched to the cold fireplace and lit a fire with his wand. "Headmaster Albus Dumbledore!" he called to the green flames, but although they flickered, no one answered the fire call. "Professor Minerva McGonagall," he called and again no one answered.

_Order members_, _Order members,_ thought Percy frantically. _Who had his dad said were Order members?_ He didn't know. He couldn't remember. _It doesn't matter_, he thought. He would tell one of the teachers to find Dumbledore and then he would Apparate back to the Ministry himself.

"Professor Sprout!"

After a moment, the reassuring face of his former teacher appeared in the fire.

"Percy?" she said curiously, "Percy Weasley?" Then her plump happy face creased into a frown at his disheveled appearance. "What happened?"

"The Ministry is under attack. Death Eaters," he said. He voice sounded amazingly calm. "I need to speak to Headmaster Dumbledore, but neither he nor Professor McGonagall are answering their fire call."

"Are you sure?" Sprout said, a trace of fear in her voice.

"Yes," replied Percy. "I was at the Ministry," he explained, "with Minister Fudge, when the Death Eaters came into a meeting. Professor," his voice broke just a bit as he uttered the words, "Minister Fudge is a Death Eater."

"Fudge? He can't be," said Sprout. "I mean he—"

"He was fighting back to back with Lucius Malfoy," cried Percy. He neglected to admit that his little sister was giving orders to the Death Eaters. "I saw Fudge, and professor, my father is still there. Please notify the Headmaster. I'm going back—"

"No!" said another voice, and Sprout moved out of the fire to allow another woman access. "Go to the Order. Your Mum will get things organized with the Order of the Phoenix. She's working at Grimmauld Place now."

_Grimmauld Place? His mother?_ His _mother_ was a member of the _Order of the Phoenix?_ The thought didn't want to sink into his mind. His mother working in an important job like the Order didn't seem possible.

"Who are you?" Percy asked the small bespectacled woman.

"Arabella Figg," she said. "Your mother and I have been friends for years."

Percy nodded. He knew the name, although he had never met her. She was another Order member. "Professor," interrupted Percy. "I don't know where the Order is located. I never joined."

"I do," Arabella grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the flames. "The Burrow!" she said, but the fire just flickered around her. The floo network was down.

Percy looked at the professors and felt the blood run from his face. Mrs. Figg already looked ghostly pale, but she turned back to Percy. "Locate one of your older brothers, either Charlie or Bill," she said. "I'm counting on you to alert them, Mr. Weasley—"

"Bill should still be at Gringotts," said Percy

Mrs. Figg nodded. "Bill or Charlie can alert the rest of the Order. I will find Headmaster Dumbledore,

With some difficulty, Sirius passed through the wards of a side door. The smell of blood and fear was strong and it took all of his effort to keep his mind on his task. Once he was almost hit by a curse, but a Death Eater kicked him out of the way, muttering something about Snape's mutt. The cries of the Ministry employees assaulted Sirius and it was hard to pass them, but he closed his ears to their pleas. It was harder to close his nose to the smell. He paused to collect his wits when he got to an unoccupied floor. It was eerily empty.

Putting his nose to the ground, he began to search for Dumbledore. He found a familiar smell and debated whether to follow it or continue looking for Dumbledore. He decided on the former. He needed someone else on the inside to help him. When he caught up with the wizard, he transformed. "Moody!" he shouted down the length of the corridor.

Immediately Moody turned his wand on Sirius. "Black!" he spat.

Sirius had no idea how much Dumbledore had told Moody about him. He was more useful to the Order on covert missions, but there was no time to explain. "Stupefy me if you have to," said Sirius. "But before you do, know that, Dumbledore is in trouble – he flooed into a trap. Get the Apparition wards back under our control." Sirius hesitated a moment and then said, "I'm going to find him." He transformed back into the dog, and turning, put his nose to the ground.

Moody nodded and made his decision, lowering his wand as Sirius changed back into a dog and hurried along the corridor. "Black!" Moody called, and the dog turned, listening. "A moment ago, this floor was overrun with dementors. He's moving them at his whim. If you get to a floor with dementors on it, don't try to be a hero, get off of that floor."

Meanwhile, Lupin, with his lightening quick werewolf senses and his awesome Patronus, managed with difficulty to get past both the death eaters and the dementors on the first floor. Once inside the Ministry, he searched for Voldemort's Apparition signature, pulled his wand and attempted to Apparate to the same general vicinity as Voldemort. Several times he Apparated to a previous signature and had to double back. Each time, he held his breath, willing himself to be far enough from his nemesis to be able to aid Dumbledore. Finally, he got a recent Apparition trail, but where he appeared, dementers were still swarming.

He entered the room in time to see Voldemort Apparate. He slowly worked his way to the area in the room where the Apparition took place, but the dementors were everywhere. He concentrated on his happy memory and tried to shut out the screams of James Potter and Severus Snape as the dementers made him relive attacking Snape. In the dementor enhanced memory, he, Remus Lupin in his werewolf form, tore them all to bits. He was shaking, and his mouth tasted of blood before he reached the Apparation spot. He had to drop the patronus long enough to check the magical signature, and the dementors closed in like a shroud of ice, attempting to suck his soul, but he moved quickly, holding desperately to the knowledge that he could Apparate, knowledge they wanted to steal from him.

Finally, he Apparated after Voldemort and, mercifully, there were no dementors on the floor to which he Apparated. Unfortunately, there was also no sign of Voldemort. Feeling like the left out child in a bizarre game of Apparition tag, Lupin put his nose to the Apparition point, trying to discern where Voldemort had gone. He had no intention of Apparating back into the dementors to check the signature again. He had to look the old fashioned way, with only his keen eyes and werewolf sense of smell to guide him, he searched for Voldemort and Dumbledore and Sirius.

****

Before Dumbledore stepped from the floo, he had drawn his wand, and then he very deliberately put it away. He didn't need that crutch, and he certainly didn't need Tom interfering. He raised his hands and called the Elementals. Dumbledore would expect fire. He began with air. Once Dumbledore was fully present, Voldemort fired **Avada Kadavra**. One part of him wished that Dumbledore had died instantly, but he told himself it was good that Dumbledore side stepped him. After all, it would have been extremely boring if Dumbledore had died without a fight. Voldemort smiled. His hands were moist and he felt the tremors of anxiety in his stomach. He would not call the wetness of his hands fear. He switched to the water Elemental. The rush of anxiety he felt now that he was finally facing Dumbledore, pushed his magic to readiness. Fire was at his fingertips and hate was in his heart. He fully intended to enjoy himself.

"Amelia!" said Dumbledore, stunning both Crabbe and Goyle and then going to Narcissa Malfoy's side. He seemed to be momentarily fooled by the magical signature, but then he fired a spell that blasted Narcissa through the open door and into the corridor beyond. "Who was she?" Dumbledore asked Tom, as he turned to face his adversary.

"Narcissa," answered Voldemort. "But, no matter, she served her purpose in attracting you here."

"You hold them so cheaply," said Dumbledore.

Voldemort shrugged and threw a spell. He was watching the Griffindor closely. Just because he had lured Dumbledore here, didn't mean the battle was a foregone conclusion. Little bits of fear coursed through him, but he guarded his thoughts from Dumbledore, and called the fear adrenalin. He knew he had the upper hand. Dumbledore was alone. He had all of his Death Eaters at his beck and call. He could afford to be arrogant. "How did you know that it wasn't Amelia Bones? Legilimency?"

Dumbledore didn't answer but he stared at Voldemort, his blue eyes accusing. "Look at me, Tom," coaxed Dumbledore.

"I've never been stupid," Voldemort returned, throwing a spell and circling away from him, studiously looking everywhere but the Old Man's eyes.

"You can't look me in the eye," Dumbledore taunted. "You're afraid of me."

"Hardly," said Voldemort. "If it makes you happy, I promise I'll look you in the eye when they are cold, dead and staring."

Voldemort felt a brush of Dumbledore's mind against his and jumped away firing **Avada Kedavra!**

"Still trying to kill me, Tom?" Dumbledore threw a spell that caused Voldemort to back away, coughing. He Apparated out of it, and reappeared on the other side of Dumbledore.

"Still trying to run a war without hurting anyone?" countered Voldemort. _"**Crucio!"**_

"I'm not running a war," said Dumbledore. "I run a school, and I have failed you Tom, but the responsibility for your actions still rests with you."

"I take full responsibility. Gladly," said Voldemort, firing another spell. "I know, your thoughts on responsibility, you old coot. You see, I have followed your advice. I have made my choices and that has made me the wizard I am . . ."

"I'm sorry, Tom."

"I'm not," growled Voldemort. "How can I be sorry? I have everything I wish. I am everything I meant to be—"

"I don't think so, Tom."

"Quit calling me Tom!" shouted Voldemort

"Should I call you Salazar?" Dumbledore inquired politely.

"I AM Lord Voldemort!"

By the time Lupin arrived at the corridor, Dumbledore and Voldemort were engaged in battle in the next room. He had no time to waste. **"Stupefy!"** he shot at Valeriana. He had thought Narcissa was unconscious, but she attacked him from behind, viciously keeping him from reaching Dumbledore and Voldemort.

**"Crucio!"** she spat and he had not yet recovered from the crushing pain of her Crucio when another spell was sent his way. **"Avada Kedavra!"**

Even his werewolf senses were not fast enough, and stinging sparkles of green light bathed his body in pain. He threw back his head and howled: a sound of lonely agony echoing through the halls to Sirius' ears.

(A/N: Stay with me. 15 Reviews gets the next chapter. Look you managed that in one day for this chapter. Can you do it again?)

ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS:

Anonymous: Thank you

DraginLover: Don't worry about Neville. He has some fun stuff coming. And I never said that Tom was going to take over Ginny's body in the next book. As far as Harry and Ginny. No. The closest I got to that pairing is my story "The Secret Seduction" Muwhawha. And Sevi's tongue being funny—I love mixing humor in with action and suspense. I hope it came across that way.

Fire-sprite16: Did I say Tom is getting out of Ginny only in the next book? No. It's not that simple. If you can figure it out in the space of a review, what is the point of reading? Expect the unexpected, but do remember, I am a Slytherin and I love Ginny/Tom.

Tamora Pierce: Congrats on your "angel" in the Moscow ballet and thanks for reading.

Silverfox: Bea bunny in Slyth with all those snakes? Are you kidding? You are doing a great job with the chapter questions by the way. Everyone rush over to the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth and answer her questions so she feels needed and I can see what you are thinking. A special thanks to Silverfox who sees some growth in my writing from BB to BTD. I appreciate your thoughts. Sometimes I have thought that the chapters in BTD did not compare favorably to some of those in BB and it worried me. We have all read books by authors who seemed to have one book and the next one went downhill. I wanted to make sure that mine are growing and going up hill. As far as short reviews, it's ok. I know some people find it hard to put thoughts into words. For example, Tom Riddle: Head Boy has had 300 readers and has 17 reviews. Both my Bellatrix story and The Secret Seduction have over 900 readers and both have reviews in the teens. I like to think I left the readers speechless. Smirks.

Ammarine: Stay with me, switching locations. I hope this chapter was organized enough to follow. There are a lot of things going on—Death Eaters, Aurors, School kids, etc.

Keminran: More is coming

Tiamat Warcraft: Good to hear from you. I hope you get your computer back soon. Sorry about Tonks. Oh well, there was a reason.

Field of Gold More is coming and you don't need to worry about reading a story that isn't finished. I promise you, it will be finished. Most of it is finished already. Just a few minor adjustments to the final chapters necessary, so YES I WILL FINISH IT. That is so discouraging when you read a story and the author abandons it. I will not abandon this story.

Trillium: Glad you like the twins. They are fun to write, and yes Neville needs a girlfriend, but so does Harry. Oh well.

Mistrunner: Oh so glad you loved Draco/Samara. There will be more interaction between them in this book before the end. After all, she is the prophecy child. I work very hard on fight scenes. I hope you see the fight between Dumbledore/Voldemort and Sirius/Valeriana (Bellatrix) as very real. I know I wrote the Sirius fight as I wish it would have been in JK's book. It grew out of my dissatisfaction with how Sirius died. If you read my "Order of the Phoenix" poem you know what I mean, and that doesn't mean Sirius has to die or not die. It just means this fight had a lot of baggage involved in it.

Jager: glad you liked. Keep reading and reviewing.

Chernobyl: You are re-reading Broken Beginning? Oh aren't you sweet! I think Broken Beginning has a ton of re-read value though. When Ennui read it again, she couldn't believe she didn't know Edward was evil from the beginning. If you pull out his lines, they are so morbid from day one. Plus, Choosing Sides and Family Ties one of the funniest chapters, isn't funny anymore. I do think the prophecy added another dimension to the story and I am thinking of what sort of puzzle I can put in the next one so it has the same sort of depth.

Little Red Rabbit: I'm still working.. You keep reading and reviewing, OK?

15 REVIEWS GETS THE NEXT CHAPTER.

Lady Lestrange


	27. CH 27 Mistake of Destiny

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. I miss your constant attention and hope her schoolwork load eases up soon. I need you …

**15 reviews:** I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves both her father and her brother, but what about herself? Stay tuned to see what happened to Draco.

Valeriana and Narcissa guard their Master's back. The battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort is engaged and Lady Lestrange fulfills her fantasy by rewriting the Sirius/Valeriana battle, Lestrange style.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

Chapter 27 A Mistake of Destiny 

Sirius dared not leave his Animagus form. He sulked through the dementors, searching for the scent of the Headmaster. There was no trail to follow since Dumbledore had used the floo, and Voldemort's scent was everywhere—every floor—everywhere—in the Ministry. Sirius was filled with frustration. _How could he help the Headmaster if he couldn't find him?_

And then, the sound of a packmate in danger, in pain, assaulted his ears. _Remus! _Sirius turned and ran for the sound. He galloped along the corridor, desperate to get to his friend, when suddenly the scent of Auror Sturgis filled his nostrils. "Help me!" cried Sirius as he rapidly transformed. "Remus has been hurt." He wouldn't allow himself to believe that his friend was dead.

Sturgis nodded and followed Sirius as he headed unerringly to the scent of Narcissa and Valeriana. Before he could surprise them, Sturgis had his wand out and fired. "There! Sirius," he cried. "The Dark Lord is in that room!" He shot a single spell that went impossibly wide and fell short of Narcissa. Valeriana turned towards the doorway where Sirius stood with Sturgis.

_So much for stealth_, thought Sirius.

The volley of spells continued and Sirius was hard put to keep himself whole. At last he maneuvered himself behind Sturgis and spoke, a cool voice in Sturgis' ear. "I don't remember you being so poor a shot in dueling club," said Sirius. "Unless you don't want to hit your target."

But instead of answering, Sturgis wheeled. _"**Avada—"**_ he began but a growl grew in Sirius throat and he changed to his Animagus and attacked, getting under the spell with the quickness of his change.

Sturgis shoved the stick of his wand into Sirius mouth, rapping him across the nose and pushing him away so that he had the distance to get a spell off, but he was not quick enough. Sirius bit down on the man's arm, tearing his robe and drawing blood. Sturgus wrapped his good arm around Sirius neck and used his torn robe as a muzzle. With a quick and effortless flick of his wand, the material knotted, stopping Sirius from biting. "It took you long enough to figure it out, Mutt—always chasing poor Severus," said Sturgis as he shoved the dog's body off of him. "Who else knows I am the spy?"

Sirius changed back into wizard form and had his wand out before Sturgis could get another spell off. "Who else indeed," drawled Sirius, as the material dropped from his face since he no longer had a snout. "I may have to apologize to Snape for putting him in such bad company." Sirius threw a spell which bathed Sturgis in a soft blue light and with a little cry Sturgis crumpled unconscious.

Valeriana's voice reached Sirius from the opposite end of the corridor. "Oh Bravo, Sirius! Look at you, walking around as if you were a free man," she taunted. **_"Crucio."_**

Sirius Disapperated and Reapparated, avoiding her spell. "And you as if you were a free woman, Cousin."

"I thought you still knew the meaning of blood," Valeriana taunted as she circled, looking for an opening.

"He's nothing but a filthy blood traitor," said Narcissa.

"What do you know about family?" asked Sirius as he danced aside of their spells. "If you understood family, Andromeda would still be alive. Even your children are only a notch of your achievements. Ha! If your boys weren't the perfect Death Eaters—"

"But they are perfect," interrupted Valeriana. "Perfect Dark Angels, Sirius. I'll see you in hell! **_Avada—"_**

He dodged the spell from Valeriana and fired at Narcissa when he caught Lupin's scent from the doorway. He hesitated, in fear for his friend's life, and then everything happened too fast for him to stop it. Narcissa was on him before he could think. The scent of two others, Dumbledore and Voldemort, in the next room, caught his attention, but there was nothing he could do for the Headmaster. Valeriana and Narcissa took all of his effort. Multiple spells were thrown in quick succession, followed by _Crucio_.

Sirius couldn't think. He warded _Testudo_ automatically, but his brain was racing with the succession of events: the Apparition, the spell, the sound of his friend falling.

**_"Expelliramus!"_** roared Narcissa just as Valeriana threw _Sectum_. Blood spurted from Sirius wrist but he didn't lose his grip on his wand.

"Do you think I am useless without my wand?" Sirius taunted. "I'm still a Black."

Fire crackled at Valeriana's fingertips. "Let's make this fun," she cooed.

"Valeriana!" snapped Narcissa. "We need to watch the Master's back. Let's just finish him." She snatched up her sister's left hand.

"No," said Valeriana, pulling out of her sister's grasp. "Sirius is mine. You watch the Master's back and then go and get Lauren. I'll follow you when he's dead." She smiled a feral smile and turned back to Sirius. Narcissa nodded and without taking her eyes from Sirius, backed out of range, Moving to the room where Dumbledore and Volemort fought she allowed Valeriana to take her place with Sirius. Valeriana and Sirius circled like two well matched predators, both Blacks, both deadly, both ready for the challenge. The buzz of spells in the next room, from Dumbledore and Voldemort virtually ignored as they concentrated on one another.

"This is how it should be cousin—just you and me," said Valeriana. "I'm going to kill you now." She advanced on him with deadly intent, growling at him as she dodged his spell. "You left me there, cousin," Valeriana shrieked, recovering herself. "You came to your freedom, Sirius, but you left me there in that hell hole for another two bloody years!" Her voice rose to a screech. "We were family! And you abandoned me! **Crucio!"**

His Animagus reflexes moved him out of the way of her spell. It spattered on the wall spraying the room with angry Elemental fire. "You belonged in Azkaban," smirked Sirius. "And I'm still family." He transferred to his wand to his left hand and drenched Valeriana in Elemental water with his right. The water hissed and steam billowed as Valeriana brought back her fire. Blood dripped from Sirius' injured wrist.

"Tell me when to Quit," she said with a smirk.

"You are Tom Riddle," Dumbledore said, advancing on Voldemort. "Possessed by the spirit of Salazar Slytherin," continued Dumbledore. "The question is," he threw another spell causing Voldemort to back up and then attack. "What are we going to do about it?" Dumbledore Apparated out of Tom's line of fire and turned, attempting to disarm him.

Voldemort laughed, never missing an opening to throw a spell at Dumbledore, he circled as he spoke. "Getting soft on Slytherins after all these years, Albus? I confess I'm disappointed. Of course it's a little too late now that we are at the Ministry instead of Hogwarts."

Likewise, Dumbledore did not let the conversation distract him from the volley of spells. "I've always tried to treat all of my students fairly, Tom. It's you that didn't appreciate my efforts. You may not have noticed, but I've always cared for my students."

"You never cared about me-about any of the Slytherins. You didn't care that we were playing with the dark arts. You only cared when we became dangerous and threatened you and your precious Gryffindor's. You abandoned Slytherin long ago. Even now, do you think withholding Avada is merciful? Is it merciful to capture my purebloods and feed them to the dementors? Opps—you don't have the dementors anymore." Voldemort laughed.

"You won't get away with this. You can't take down the Ministry."

Voldemort paused. "Are you blind? The only thing in the way of my success is you. And in a few moments that obstacle will be removed." The black haze of Voldemort's spell congealed around Dumbledore, but he threw it off.

"You can't win," said Dumbledore.

"Of course I can. Even you have to believe that." Voldemort switched to parseltongue, with the intention of a spell, clear as green fire flew from his hands **"(Sisshausss!)**I have the Prophecy Child. **"(Sisshausss!)** I covered all the bases. I took them both," he smirked, and ducked Dumbledore's return volley.

"Ginny Weasley is regrettable, but—"

"Regretable?" repeated Voldemort. "You hold them so cheaply," he said.

"You couldn't Mark Samara while she was immersed in the Elementals," Dumbledore continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. He threw a spell to emphasize his words. "She belongs to herself."

"Is that what you hoped for Old Man when you damned near killed her with the _Night of Living Death_?

"The spell was thrown at Nott—"

"Through her shield! Did you not realize she is an Empath, or are you just stupid?"

Dumbledore answered only with the speed of his spells.

"Don't worry," said Voldemort returning the fire in turn. "The Dark has some advantages over the Light. I wasn't bound by moral constrictions of whether it was her destiny to die or not." He threw a spell, which once again was blocked.

"She doesn't seem to like you very much Albus. Of course, I can't say I blame her. What were you thinking, putting an Empath in the Chamber of Chains? Tsk Tsk."

"Heroes," Albus corrected absently. "And I never meant to hurt her. She knows that."

"She does?" questioned Voldemort mockingly. "Is she a Legilimens too? I've seen no indication of that and believe me, I've been close enough to tell—"

Dumbledore growled, momentarily letting his anger get away from him. "I didn't know the Chamber of Heroes would be that traumatic for her."

"You didn't know? Well, I'm sure there are things you don't know about Hogwarts, Old Man, and that shall be your downfall."

"But it didn't say she would be an Empath in the prophecy," said Albus throwing a spell.

It struck Voldemort's hastily conjured ward. Since both of the combatants were equally matched, in curses, in wards and in Legilimency, dominance was fleeting. The question was who would make the first mistake.

"You're right," said Voldemort "But I never thought of any prophecy as the Truth itself." Voldemort circled, trying to get in a good position to attack. He taunted Dumbledore, hoping to distract him enough to get a spell through his guard. "What Seer would recognize truth if it stared them in the face? Least of all Silly Sybil," he guffawed as threw the spell, and continued speaking as he drove Dumbledore back. "She's probably still having nightmares about the Chamber of Secrets like she did in her first year. Tell me, does she still see snakes every time she looks into a fire like she did when I opened the Chamber? Is she still predicting doom for every green-eyed student who passes her walls? I can't believe you rely on that loon to give you the Truth."

"As if you would know what Truth is, Tom," said Dumbledore calmly.

"You need to recognize deception before you can see the Truth," Voldemort retorted, his voice was low, seeking to anger Dumbledore into some rash Gryffindor action. "You can babble on about Truth and righteousness all you want, but you and the other Muggle-lovers have allowed the vermin to breed into the wizarding community. That is the Truth. You pretend everything is in order, though it is not. That is the truth. The Magic is corrupting as we speak. That is the truth, but you will not see it because you would rather not have to deal with the consequences of your mistakes. It is easier to lay blame—"

"I blame no one," said Dumbledore, refusing to be baited.

Voldemort changed tactics. "It is easier to try to kill one man, but you are too late. I am no longer a man, and if you believe in the prophecies, you know it is over."

"No Tom. You may have Ginny, but Samara will not be yours."

"I beg to disagree. She is already mine. You drove her straight to me." Voldemort wondered if it was possible that Dumbledore did not know—he was sure his spy had let that little tidbit drop. _Well_, thought Voldemort, _If Dumbledore did not know, perhaps the shock of discovery would open a path for the killing curse_. "I gave her the Mark yesterday," Voldemort smirked as Dumbledore paused to give him a cold stare.

"And she's so strong," Voldemort continued, softly taunting,. "She's already recovered. Do you want to know how many aurors she killed today?"

Voldemort paused to let that thought sink in before he said, "She is now completely mine – even bonded to the side of Darkness. Do you know what it will take to sever a Life Bond? Tell me Dumbledore, do you really want to kill her too? And to think, I have to thank you—and Godric—for sending her to me." Voldemort bowed in a courtly manner and then Disapparated to avoid Dumbledore's furious spell. He reappeared behind Dumbledore.

"She escaped the Chamber of Heroes," said Dumbledore softly. "She was unhurt—"

"Unhurt?" whispered Voldemort, incredulous. "So your spy didn't tell you Albus that she lay in a coma for a week—immersed in the Elementals. All the healers said she would die—all of them—useless! But she fought her way back from the Elementals. She conquered death." He punctuated each word with a spell, as he said, "Just—as—I—did--She's taken the first step—towards immortality," finished Voldemort softly. "You wanted to cage her," Voldemort taunted. "I want to set her free."

Dumbledore stumbled, visably shaken by Voldemort's news, and Voldemort immediately took advantage, delving into Dumbledore's mind with his legilmency.

**"Legilimens!"** Spat Voldemort, determined to rip the Order plans from Dumbledore's own mind, but he couldn't get a grip on them. He felt the Old Man's uncertainty for a brief moment. He tried to access the man's doubts--his insecurities. He had made mistakes. There were so many mistakes, but Dumbledore kept the specifics hidden.

"Only a true heir of Gryffindor could defeat the Chamber of Heroes—" muttered Dumbledore, before he yanked himself free of the contact with Voldemort.

Voldemort laughed. "And which prophecy says that?" he asked, as he returned Dumbledore's fire, but to no avail.

"Well, no prophecy," said Albus, still somewhat befuddled from Voldemort's legilmens spell. "but it's obvious. Only a handful of students have ever been able to get the entrance open—none since Godric's time--except the Doogle sisters."

"Slytherins," said Tom. "Do you think they tell you everything, Albus? Anyway, for the first hundred years, every Gryffindor who graduated conquered that Chamber, but the magic is different now. Like I told you, there is much you do not know about Hogwarts. Unfortunately, you Muggle-lovers have diluted the magic to the point where it is almost unusable. As you have said, only a few have opened it. I doubt even the great Harry Potter would be able to conquer it today." ****

Dumbledore regained his equilibrium and danced aside as he fired several spells, pushing Voldemort back. Crabbe and Goyle took that moment to awake from their _Stupefied_ slumber and moved in to protect their master.

Voldemort expected Dumbledore to attack them and he pulled Elemental fire, holding his hands ready for the counterattack. When _Dumbledore's wand was turned away_, Voldemort thought, _he would attack_. But the wand never turned.

Without taking his wand from Voldemort, Dumbledore attacked each in quick succession with Legilimency, causing both Crabbe and Goyle to crumple, unconscious.

"Oh, Tsk, Tsk. That was not sporting," said Voldemort releasing the fire at Dumbledore. "Hardly a Gryffindor move at all. They had no chance to block that attack. How will it look on your record: the great and powerful Dumbledore using Legilimency against a completely defenseless wizard? Two of them in fact—as if they had any power of mind."

Dumbledore drenched Voldemort's flames in Elemental water, but some few of them licked up the curtains at the edge of the room. "Give up, Tom. Your cronies are defeated. You have no one to stand with you now."

"Is that so?" spat Voldemort, "You seem to have forgotten one important piece of information."

"What's that," asked Dumbledore.

"You've lost. You're beaten Old Man – give up." Voldemort pushed him back towards the growing fire with an inexorable volley of spells. "I have the Prophecy Child, my basilisks, and now the Ministry. **_Avada Kedavra_**

Once again Dumbledore Apparated out of range of the spell and then both Dumbledore and Voldemort paused, instinctively looking up as the Apparition wards suddenly crumbled. "Fuck, the Auror's can Apparate out," snapped Voldemort, looking around for his Minions. "Narcissa! Valeriana!"

Dumbledore took that moment to fire a spell, and Voldemort barely got out of the way.

"Here, Master," called Narcissa from the corridor, between him and Sirius. Voldemort spun around, blocking a spell from Dumbledore and immediately crashing down the wall between him and Narcissa with _Reducto. _The increased air acted as a chimney, and the flames in the corner burst to new life..

"Where's Nott?" Voldemort asked and then immediately, without waiting for her answer, he fired a spell at Dumbledore, and ordered, "Naricissa fire the Mark and then go to your business at Hogwarts. We shall use the downed wards to our advantage."

"Yes, Master."

"You'll not go to Hogwarts," shouted Dumbledore, turning his spell towards Narcissa, but Voldemort blocked _Testudo_ for her.

"Would you keep a Mother away from her son?" Voldemort mocked. "An Aunt away from her niece?"

The moment between Dumbledore and Voldemort was shattered by the nearby volley of Sirius' and Valeriana's spells.

As Narcissa fired the Mark, the dementors began to move. Within seconds, Eldon Nott had Apparated next to Voldemort. Dumbledore fired at him, but he warded. _"**Testudo**_ Don't be an idiot," shouted Nott as he directed the dementors towards Dumbledore. Pinning him between their cold dark maw and the hot Elemental flames. "If you destroy me, all the dementors in this box are free. What is to keep them bound?"

"I will," said Dumbledore.

Nott scoffed as he defended his Master's back. "Are you a Child of Chaos?"

Dumbledore was forced to produce his Patronus. A silvery golden griffin which flew like a whirlwind, dispersing the Dementers, but as Dumbledore held the Patronus he could not throw another spell, he could only dodge. **_"Avada Kedavra!"_** called Voldemort.

Dumbledore dodged, his face intense.

Voldemort realized that Dumbledore was counting spells. He laughed, sweat and the Elementals marring his usually immaculate robes. "That may have worked with Grindlewald," he taunted. "But not with me, Old Man."

"And how would you know what worked with Grindlewald?" spat Dumbledore.

"Are you a Legilimens or not?" asked Voldemort, moving closer to Nott and his Box. "You've forgotten I have the Prophecy Child and all the power of the Death Eaters through my Mark." Voldemort fired off two more _Avada_ spells, pushing Dumbledore back towards the Elemental fire as he called the numbers of his spells, spells he should not have been able to do, "Five! Six!"

In the adjacent corridor, Sirius' attention was on Valeriana, but he when the wall exploded with Voldemort's reducto, he glanced quickly back at the combatants in the next room. Remus was stretched silent and still on the floor beside the prone bodies of Crabbe and Goyle. Flames were licking near his feet. Bits of the wall have fallen on them from the Reducto spell, but they didn't move. Narcissa stood guard over the bodies and watched Voldemort but she was poised to strike. He didn't trust her to stay out of their fight. He realized quite clearly that if it looked as if their Master would lose to Dumbledore, she would step in to save Him. He was sure that if it looked like he was besting Valeriana, her sister would come to her rescue. He moved warily against Valeriana, more like a feral cat than a dog—more like a Grim—and then once again he was a wizard, speaking. "Valeriana," he said as he danced out of the way of her spells. "I am your cousin. Be reasonable."

"I left my reason in Azkaban," she sneered.

"As you said, we are family," Sirius protested.

"Family!" spat Valeriana as she blocked. "Is that how you treat family, Sirius? Deserting them? Dementers damn you!" As she spoke, a flurry of spells seared around him. A _sectum_ caught above his left shoulder and sliced it open, narrowly missing his throat.

"You bitch!" roared Sirius as he attacked, but Valeriana coolly avoided his wrath.

"Considering that you are a dog animagus, Sirius, I don't know if I should be insulted or flattered," she said with a smirk.

He dove at her, a spell in his wand and Earth magic in the other hand. The heaviness of the Earth magic toppled her, and she fell dirt and mud billowing up around her as he released the Earth magic and she dug and crawled her way forward until she turned her wand properly in her hand. _"Reducto!"_ she shouted and the Earth exploded, throwing bits of dirt and rock everywhere. The room and the corridor blurred together with the avalanche of dirt and flames.

Sirius ducked, momentarily turning his head from the blast.

"I felt your fur beneath my hands as you left," muttered Valeriana as she clenched some of the soil that Sirius had conjured. "A handful of fur clung to my hand when I touched you and I waited. I touched it—I touched that fur—night after night—I thought—Sirius will help me. I touched that fur every night—until—until Rookwood took it."

"I thought you were waiting for the Dark Lord to save you," sneered Sirius. "You didn't need me."

"No. I didn't. He came," said Valeriana as she drew herself to her full height. "He's my family now."

_"And_ did you berate him for his tardiness, or did you just kiss his feet?" asked Sirius. **_"Stupefy!"_**

"I could block that from you when I was ten," said Valeriana. "Are we actually going to duel, or are you trying to bore me to death, Sirius? **_Crucio!"_**

"Don't you know any other spells?" Sirius taunted, his eyes twinkling with a moment of mirth, soon forgotten as he dodged her next spell.

"None that will make you hurt like you've hurt me," Valeriana returned.

"I've never done anything to you, Valeriana. I've never offended you. I'm trying not to hurt you now—"

"Oh, but you have offended me," said Valeriana. "Your _living_ offends me. You should have died in that hellhole. I intend to right that little mistake of destiny. I should have killed you years ago when you were a child. Did you know I sought to destroy you right after I realized that Albus Dumbledore would not intervene. Are you a Black or not?"

"What are you talking about?" snapped Siriius, confused, he stumbled, nearly hit by her spell, and warded against the open air.

"Remus," said Valeriana simply.

"When Remus—" He couldn't think of Remus now. "The werewolf event? With James?" he asked. "When we were children?"

"Ah yes. Why do you think Severus pestered you? Who do you think peaked his curiosity? It was I," Valeriana threw another spell that sliced through his shield and laced his wand arm with pain. He deftly switched hands and threw Elemental water to block her fire. "Just like it was I who seduced your little friend, Peter," continued Valeriana. "I, who was the true Black, although it was you who carried the name. I thought having an Animagus as tiny and unobtrusive as a rat would be an asset to our Lord. I was right."

She laughed as she threw another _Crucio_ but her fervor was interrupted as one of Voldemort's spells flew over her head when Dumbledore side stepped it.

Again, Sirius danced out of the way of the spell, aware that if hit with it, Valeriana could follow with an _Avada _before he could possibly recover, but if she missed, perhaps two more times, she would start to tire and _Testudo_ would hold the spell. With that in mind, he taunted her. "I didn't know Azkaban affected your eyesight, Valeriana, or perhaps you can't hold the wand steady enough for a curse anymore," he questioned. "Is that why you are addicted to wandless magic? Do your hands shake on the wood of your wand?" His voice deepened and softened. "Do you still see the black wraiths? Do they still haunt your dreams and make your hands shake? Do they come for you at night?"

True to form, she dove at him, casting a flurry of wandless spells: **_"Sectum! Curtus!"_ **and then turning her hand to a different angle to get under his shield spell, she directed the flame to his chest.** _"Crucio!"_**

**_"Testudo!"_** warded the first two but the third was at the edge of the shield spell and went through it, hitting Sirius with intense pain, his very life's blood bubbling up inside of him. He felt the boiling pain of his organs grinding and splintering against the bone and he couldn't breathe through the pain. He couldn't think, and she focused her spell, holding the spell steady, watching him suffer, her black eyes intense, but in the last minute he managed to catch her arm and yank her off balance, breaking her concentration, the magic crackling between them as he pulled her close, letting the magic flow through him as he did when they were children. As he fell, rolling, falling on top of her and pinning her to the ground, she managed to pull her wand from her robe.

"Quit?" he asked, and she growled at him, struggling for supremacy in the wandless flow of magic while scrambling for her wand.

Sirius was still panting for breath, spitting blood. His body was still shaking from the aftermath of her spell, and he was uncertain if he could throw a spell of the magnitude necessary to down her, instead, he wrenched her wand arm up to her neck and placed the wood of it against her windpipe—pushing—pushing and suddenly it was cold—and immense cold with which he was intimately familiar. He nearly choked with fear.

His body involuntarily began to shudder with pure terror. His very thoughts turned to ice, and the magic in his hands seemed to splinter and fall to the ground, unusable. Valeriana beneath him began to squirm like a mad woman to get free, to run, to hide. Whimpering like a tortured child, her cries rose to shrieks of terror as she clawed to get free. He felt blood and fire against his face as her fingers dug into his flesh. She pounded on him, spewing flames and screaming a name, over and over again: "Rookwood! Rookwood! Rookwood!"

He could suddenly hear the dementors, just like he did in Azkaban. He agonized over the moment when he told James to let Peter be their Secret keeper. He could hear James' accusing voice in his head. _"You were the coward Sirius. You didn't want to be the Secret Keeper. You knew Voldemort would come for you. You knew, and you passed that job off to Peter. Weak, spineless Peter. You knew Peter couldn't do the job, but at least he had the guts to try. You did betray me Sirius. Just as surely as Peter did, you betrayed me. You are just as weak as he was."_

Sirius was then back on the cold rock in his mind and magic was out of his reach. They were coming to suck out his soul. In the distance he could imagine the screams of the Muggles that died that night and the laughter of Peter Pettigrew as he muttered the spell—_Peter, his friend. Peter: the Secret keeper, The Betrayer. The accusing dead eyes of James Potter as he lay cold and silent in the ruins of Godric Hollow. Lily's lifeless body, half concealing young Harry as if to try to save him. Blood and magic seeping from Harry's newly made scar._ The infant Harry was crying in cold and in fear. "I will save him," Sirius muttered, like a mantra. "I will save him. I will—" and somewhere in the midst of the terror and the cold and the pain, another voice was screeching.

"Get off of me Rookwood. Put them back in their box. Put them back. You know I have no soul! If they take me, I swear they will take you. I swear it. You don't have the box." She was clinging to him like a leech, her fire magic crackling, and for a spare moment he remembered the lonely call of her childhood magic, a spark of heat in the frigid cold—his cousin! Suddenly, she fell limp, drawing her arms away from him, and latching on to the wand at her throat.

He was vaguely aware of the woman beneath him, and then abruptly she was gone. He apparently had loosed his hold on her wand and she had Disapparated. It sounded like a good idea—if the magic would work on this forsaken rock. Without thought of Lupin or Dumbledore or Voldemort, Sirius raised his wand and Disapparated. He was sure he had Disapparated, The corridor looked different, but the dementors were still everywhere. There was no magic here. It was hopeless. The guards of Azkaban had told him so—showed him the mangled remains of those who did not believe the guards. He lowered his wand, hid his face in his hands and wept. The sucking cold came, and the terror that burned inside of him increased, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I'm sorry, James, and Lily and Harry and—"and then a fiery white light of a Patronus broke the cold – a Patronus made of pure light. Firm arms wrapped around him like a child and the wizard took him to a place of warmth and light.

Voldemort knew that Dumbledore was trying to catch his eye, to use his Legilimency to bring him to bear, but he would not look at the Old Man—would not touch him. The dementors were getting too close and although the Old Man's Patronus was strong enough to hold for quite some time, Voldemort could see there was no point. Dumbledore couldn't get a spell off, and it was only a matter of time before he hit the Old Man with something or pushed him into the growing Elemental Fire. He struggled to do it soon before Dumbledore thought of some Gryffindor trick to throw him off balance. Voldemort shot off a barrage of spells, doing his best to hit the old codger, but Dumbledore was nimbly dodging dementors as well as spells. He was sure to tire soon. He was no young man. He couldn't drop his Patronus to fire a spell. He couldn't hold the Patronus and pull on Elemental water to put out the growing Elemental flames, and the dementors were thick upon him. It couldn't be long now.

Somewhere in the distance Voldemort could hear Valeriana's screams of terror. He gave her a moment's thought—she should have been gone before the dementors came. Crazy though she was, he hated to lose her.

In the next instant, Dumbledore maneuvered himself next to Lupin's prone form, scooped up the man, dropped the Patronus and Disapparated.

Voldemort howled in rage as he left. He wanted Dumbledore. He wanted the werewolf. "You're a Gryffindor!" Voldemort shrieked. "You're supposed to fight to the death, damn you!"

Voldemort whipped around to Crabbe and Goyle, _Ennervating_ them both and glaring at Narcissa. "Find out who let the Aurors get the fucking Apparition wards down," He said in cold fury. "And bring them to me—I want to annihilate them." He strode through the corridor, herding the wizards roughly in front of him, surveying the damage and the assets. Nott's dementers, felt his fury and with it a promise of feasting to come, they followed him, gliding like a cold, silent wall of shadow. With a growl of frustration, Voldemort reached out and grasped Goyle's arm bringing his finger against his Dark Mark. "Severus Snape," he said as the Mark burned black.

"Poppy!" shouted Dumbledore. "Take Lupin. I have to go back for Sirius!"

Hurriedly, Poppy put down the flask of skele-gro she was holding and pulled a curtain around Draco Malfoy and his cronies. She moved to take Lupin.

"No need, Albus," said Snape, who stepped into the room with the limp body of Sirius Black in his arms. Sirius was twitching and shivering uncontrollably, blood and burns covered his face, but he was alive.

"Severus, you can speak!" said Poppy.

"Brilliant observation," he said dryly as he placed Sirius on one of the hospital cots, and turned towards Lupin.

The werewolf's face was pinched and gray. His mouth hung partially open. His tongue lolled and he did not move. Dumbledore laid him on the bed adjacent to Minerva McGonagall who was still unconscious and covered with orange burn goo.

"Minerva?" said Dumbledore softly. He looked at Poppy. "What happened to her?"

"Floo shock," said Poppy. "She tried to follow you, but the floo was sabotaged; it exploded. She'll be alright in a few days. I hope to keep her face from scarring."

"Snape set a silencing charm around Draco Malfoy's bed, and then hurried to help the Headmaster and the mediwitch. "It wouldn't due for the young Slytherins to hear any sensitive conversations," said Snape softly.

Dumbledore nodded and gestured to the two new patients. "Get them some clean clothes and try to get some liquids into them, Poppy," said Dumbledore.

"Dementers?" said Poppy as soon as she examined Sirius.

Dumbledore nodded. "And various curses."

"Chocolate for Sirius as soon as he can eat," added Snape. As if that was a cue, Sirius sat bolt upright and clasped Dumbledore's arm, staring sightlessly at Severus.

"Spy!" he croaked. "The spy—at the Minis-stry."

"It's alright, Sirius," said Dumbledore, patting his arm. "I trust Severus."

Sirius lay back down shivering, tormented by memories of dementors and Poppy passed him a plate of chocolate. He just stared at it. He didn't attempt to eat it even when Poppy put it into his mouth. It dribbled uselessly down his chin. Poppy melted it and directed a small stream into his mouth with her wand.

"Don't forget Remus' Wolfsbane," admonished Snape. "It's in my office."

Poppy looked at Snape blankly, her eyes straying to the lifeless man on the bed and back to Snape as she lost her aim and dribbled chocolate over the front of Sirius' robes. She obviously thought Snape has finally gone mad. "But—" Poppy paused with the chocolate and passed her wand over Remus just in case, but no magic remained in his body. "But, Severus, he's dead," Poppy whispered.

"Until the full moon," Dumbledore corrected as he headed for the door.

"He's a werewolf," Snape growled. "Idiots! I live in a castle full of idiots," he continued to mutter as he followed Dumbledore to the doorway. "Did you see a wound, Poppy? Did you see a single silver bullet?" He shook his head. "And she calls herself a healer, Albus."

"She doesn't have much call to deal with werewolves," said Dumbledore as he hurried to the door, "Oh Poppy, have Filius make a list of any student who's missing dinner tonight. Hurry Severus—we haven't much time," Dumbledore said as he raised his wand and Apparated closer to the edge of Hogwarts' grounds.

"No," Severus muttered, looking at his timepiece. "You are wrong Albus. There is no time at all." It was already twenty minutes after five. He had only fifteen minutes to complete his task. He raised his wand and Apparated after the Headmaster.

**Answers to Reviewers:**

Mahangelfrumheaven: No comment on the Remus killing to all of your Remus lovers out there. Smirks. Sorry. I just had to do it.

Ammarine: Glad you like the confrontation. Lots more action to go. As far as the floo at Hogwarts being down, it wasn't. Volde planned the little "accident" as no one could follow Dumbledore. Divider-free is not the way I planned it. I had dividers in when the POV changed, but for some reason, FF deleted them and I didn't realize it. Give Snape some time. He's going to be "snarkier" than you can imagine.

Mistrunner: Lady Lestrange wipes your tears.

Little Red Rabbit: No I didn't have to kill him.

JamToeMan: The best fanfic you have ever read! Wow!

Wormtail: More Draco at your request.

Raptors galore: Remus and Tonks are completely different. Maybe he's not dead, she says. Yeah. Someone is awake.

My Life is Orange: More cliffies to come.

Ellen is my middle name: Glad you are happy

FieldOfGold: Of course I will keep writing. You just keep reading and reviewing.

Sprite-Fire16: I promise more G/T is coming soon. It's a surprise.

Cronenus: Welcome back.

Jager: More T/G is on the way.

Kemenran: Yes. More at your request.

Chernobyl: Now, are you disappointed in this chapter? Intense is my speciality. Please tell your friends. Everyone, go email a friend and tell them about my story. Imperio!

DraginLover: Yes, well, I do disturbing well. I can't help it. And yes, there will be a little more Draco/Samara. Lots of Draco in the "rescue" which is coming soon.. Sorry, you don't get to know what Snape is up to yet. Soon tho. Very soon.

Silverfox1: My dear faithful fan, thanks for sticking with me so long. If you haven't read MY NAME IS SEVERUS, BY SILVERFOX You are missing a great story. Go read it. Right after you review this one. Thank you for the questions for the chapter at the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth, see the link on my bio page. I have to admit your questions are a little sparse, but at least you are trying. Can anyone help her? I really can't do my own questions because I would lead you, and I don't want to do that. I miss Ennui's questions too, but I really am appreciative that you have stuck with me. And your questions are great! Try to think of a few more of them. Maybe, one per page? Smiles.

**Please be a responsible reader and review.**

**15 Reviews**, people. You know you are getting good at this review stuff, finally…After you review, I have a request. Silverfox is working very hard on the yahoo group (see my bio page for the link), and she could use your help. Please go to the site and tell what your favorite chapter is and why, or just ask a few questions of your own.


	28. CH 28: A Precaious Faith

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 28**

**A Precarious Faith**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who thought of the title and who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews:** I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book: begun before OotP was published. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves both her father and her brother but will she ever see them again? What will Voldemort do to retaliate? And will Harry Potter really be able to rescue the girls? Do they want to be rescued?

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**Chapter 28**

**A Precarious Faith**

After Ginny had returned to the Snow Castle, she had closeted herself in her room and cried. She didn't know how to change the situation she was in.

_"I don't know why you are bawling," said Tom. "You didn't really think He'd let you go, did you? Even you aren't that_ stupid."

"I'm not stupid," shouted Ginny. "I'm not."

Tom said nothing, thinking that her fragile psyche couldn't stand much more at the moment and he had no desire to inhabit a crazier body that he already had.

"And I'm not crazy either," snapped Ginny.

_"And that's why you're talking out loud to the man in your head," said Tom sarcastically. "I can hear you just fine when you just think, Ginny Love, if ever you would deign to try that pastime."_

Samara had tried to comfort Ginny with the fact that their plan had succeeded. She had saved both her brother and her father, but she would never get to see their faces again. She knew without a doubt that He would never let her go home now.

"_Ginny Love, I don't know why you are crying. Nothing has changed," said Tom impatiently. "You did this when you took the Dark Mark."_

"I didn't mean to," Ginny wailed.

"_Don't tell me, the reality of what you choose to do has only **now** come to your attention?"_

"Something like that, Tom," Ginny agreed.

Samara seemed to understand that Ginny was having a conversation with Tom as well as with herself. When she was lucid, Samara had tried to get Ginny to eat supper, but Ginny couldn't even begin to think of food. The realization of what she had done, coupled with the after effects of the polyjuice, left her completely unwilling to eat. She had finally told Samara to go to supper without her, and she had abandoned herself to crying.

All of Tom's cajoling couldn't bring her out of her depression, but finally Visha's hunger brought her out of her room. She had to get the basilisk something to eat even if she didn't want anything for herself. It was not Visha's fault she was in this fix.

"_He will let you go," said Tom. "At least briefly. He has to."_

"What?"

_"He won't keep you a prisoner now."_

"Do you think so, Tom?" asked Ginny trying to feel heartened by Tom's opinion.

_"Yes," said Tom. "You haven't found his emerald."_

Ginny's heart sank.

(POV)

Harry studied the Maurader's Map looking for Draco and Lauren. They were no where to be found.

"Maybe they are already in the Forbidden Forest, Mate," said Ron.

"Maybe," said Hermione. "In any case, we don't have time to wait. We just have to assume they will be there to meet us. Where are your brothers?" she asked Ron.

"Already out," said Ron. "Probably trying to bring something to eat. Maybe they didn't want to make too much of a stir," he added. "With the lot of us leaving at once—"

Harry nodded. "Well, let's go then." He paused as he entered the Gryffindor Common Room. "I'm going to walk with you," said Beatrice as she rose in a fluid motion from the chair by the fire—Ginny's chair, thought Harry. He noted that Neville was standing beside her, his hand on her shoulder.

"No," said Harry. "It's dangerous—"

"Everything is dangerous," intoned Lavender as she came down the stairs. She clutched Seamus' arm as if she expected him to disappear. Dean walked a few steps behind them.

"Have you had any word from Parvati?" asked Hermione.

Lavender shook her head. "She's still in St. Mungo's," said Lavender. "They aren't very hopeful."

"Oh—" Beatrice looked stricken. "I didn't know," she said glancing from Dean to Lavender and back again.

"How could you?" asked Lavender gently. "You weren't exactly yourself either, Beatrice. Are you going to dinner?"

"Ah—no," said Harry. "We have something we have to take care of first. We will see you later. You can go to dinner though, Beatrice--"

"No, I—I'll see you later, Lavender," said Beatrice.

Lavender nodded and proceeded out of the common room with Dean and Seamus.

"I thought you weren't coming with us," Harry said to Beatrice. "We discussed this. There is no point in you endangering yourself again. What if someone recognizes you?"

"What if someone recognizes you, Harry?" she asked pointedly.

"She's not coming with us," said Neville.

Beatrice nodded. "I just thought I would see you off."

Harry frowned. "I don't like you walking back alone," he said. "This is the Forbidden Forest—"

"That's what I told her," said Neville.

"I'll be fine," said Beatrice. "I can outrun most of the stuff in the Forest, and you said we aren't going that deep."

Harry sighed. _Who was he to tell others what to do?_ After all, he hated it when Dumbledore got that patronizing attitude with him. "Let's go," he said. "We need to hurry."

It was cold on the walk across the grounds, but Harry was filled with the heat of battle. Now that the time was here, he could think of nothing else. Even Beatrice's hand laced in his was not enough to take his mind from his task. When they arrived at the appointed spot in the Forbidden Forest no one else was there.

"Where's Draco?" asked Harry, looking at his watch as it blinked 5:27.

"One minute," said Hermione as she wrapped her cloak more securely. She moved closer to Ron as the winter wind started to pick up. Harry squinted into the distance. Two people were coming at a run: Fred and George.

"Well, you didn't really expect the Slytherins to show up, did you?" sneered Ron, his breath blowing out in little puffs against the January air.

"I kind of expected Lauren," said Hermione. "How far into the Forbidden Forest do you think we have to go before we use the portkey?"

"Not far," said Harry. "I just didn't want anyone in the school to see us, and I thought we would have to meet the Slytherins. We could probably use it now. We're outside of the new wards around Hogwarts."

"Do you think the Slytherins got the place mixed up?" asked Fred.

"No," said George. "We aren't that far into the Forest. No one could get lost."

"Do you think we are portkeying into a trap," asked Neville, "and that's why they aren't here?"

"I don't think so," said Harry thoughtfully rubbing his scar.

"Well, wands drawn," suggested George.

"We're older. Maybe we should go first," said Fred, "and—"

"Are you out of your mind?" barked Ron. "We go together! She's my sister too. I have as much right as you to go—more—I'm more experienced with this sort of thing." He rubbed his cold hands together.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, let's hope it's at least warm at the Snow Castle."

"Warm? At the Snow Castle?" questioned Hermione.

"For luck," said Beatrice pulling them all into a quick group hug. She kissed Harry quickly on the cheek and dropped into her Animagus form, running in a zig-zag path all the way out of the clearing.

Shesha poked her head out of Harry's sleeve to watch the rabbit, but hers weren't the only eyes on Beatrice. Neville watched her too. "I hope she's safe," whispered Neville.

"I hope we're all safe," said Ron, "and I still think you should have left that at the dorm," admonished Ron as he indicated Shesha. "It will turn on you."

Shesha stirred in agitation on Harry's wrist and he hissed at her to be still. He didn't tell Ron that Koschei was on his other wrist.

"5:28," said Hermione, laying her hand on the portkey. The others followed her lead and within seconds they had portkeyed to the cupboard at the Snow Castle.

They were squashed on top of each other in the cupboard.

"Ow," muttered Fred. "George, your wand is in my ribs."

"Lumos," said Harry trying to sort out the confusion.

"Ahh!" Ron complained. "You've blinded me, Harry!"

Hermione, practically on top of Neville was blushing furiously, and trying to push herself off of him. "Sorry Neville."

"Oi, Hermione," said Ron as he pulled her to her feet and Fred opened the door, causing Neville and George to fall out onto the green and black marble floor.

"It's ok, Hermione," Neville stuttered as he brushed himself off.

"It doesn't look like anyone is here," said George. "Maybe it isn't a trap."

"It's a good thing no one is here," said Harry annoyed. "You are making a lot of noise."

"Well that was what Snape wanted wasn't it?" said Hermione.

"Noise?" said Fred confused.

"A chance for us to get the girls out without interference," explained Hermione

"It still could be a trap," added Ron.

"Let's assume that Professor Snape was being a help to us," said Hermione. "And if he was, we only have about nine minutes to find the girls and get out of here."

"We should split up," suggested George.

"No!" snapped Fred. "What if one of us gets lost? Do we leave them behind? We only have one portkey back."

"Unless I make another," said Harry.

"No, It will take precious time. Let's just look for the girls," said Hermione.

"Gryffs," drawled a familiar voice. "Over here." Draco stood stiffly against the wall, off to one side of the room. He rolled his eyes. "You certainly know how to make an entrance, Potter," he drawled.

"Why weren't you where you were supposed to be, Malfoy?" snapped Ron. "We waited in the Forbidden Forest."

"Not you didn't," said Draco. "You're right on time: 5:28." Draco brushed absently at imaginary lint on his cloak. "And maybe I had better things to do than babysit a bunch of Gryffs," he said.

"I think you have some explaining to do," said Hermione folding her arms across her chest defiantly. "You were supposed to meet us."

He shrugged as Ron lowered his wand. "Unavoidable Weasley. I was hit with a curse. My dad Apparated me home and I had to convince him that I was well enough to go back to Hogwarts. Then I had to convince Madam Pomfrey which was—well—impossible." Draco took a slow deep breath. "You're lucky I got here at all. I'm not supposed to Apparate. Madam Pomfrey said, I don't know enough about the condition of my ribs to put them back correctly and I could puncture my lung again, plus the spine-- I have a portkey." Draco tossed a spoon into the air. "This will take me back to Hogwarts infirmary. I at least need to keep the apparition to a minimum. It hurts like hell."

"What happened to you?" asked Hermione.

"I told you. Curse," Draco said shortly. "Look, we don't have much time. Where's Lauren?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that," said Harry.

Draco bit his lip. "Okay," he said, but when he didn't continue talking Harry wondered if he might not be thinking too clearly. Maybe it was because of the curse, or maybe he had taken some sort of pain potion that was acting as a _Confundus_ charm.

This didn't bode well for the rescue attempt. "Draco," Harry said, "do you know where we need to go?"

"Don't be stupid, Potter, of course I know the way to Samara's room. Ginny's is right down the hall from her. They should be back by now."

"Back from where?" asked Ron, but Draco didn't answer. He already started to move off in the direction of Samara's room. "As far as Lauren is concerned, I have a notion what happened to her too. She's probably here."

"Here?" said Hermione. "But she isn't a Death Eater."

"Not yet," said Draco taking long strides down the corridor and leaving the Gryffindors to follow.

"Draco," said Harry. "Lauren was supposed to bring the Polyjuice."

Draco didn't break stride. "We'll wing it. You Gryffs are good at that."

"What about the Invisibility cloak?" coaxed Harry. "At least some of us could hide under it. We would be less conspicuous."

With a grunt of annoyance, Draco threw the length of material at Harry. It caught on Neville's arm as he ducked. "You lot, go ahead—get under it since you brought half of Gryffindor Tower," sneered Draco.

As Harry added his piece to the cloak, a small group of Durmstang boys came around the corner of the corridor and saw Draco, Ron, Fred and Hermione.

Draco started to push Hermione towards the boys and the Invisibility cloak, but it was too late.

"Hey, Draco," called one of the boys. "What are you doing with the Mudblood?"

"You—!" began Ron but Draco interrupted loudly.

"What do you think?" said Draco roughly pushing Hermione against the wall and holding his wand under her chin. Then he addressed the Durmstrang boys. "Get lost. This is a private party."

"Aren't you going to share, Draco?" whined one of the boys.

"With you lot? Forget it. Besides," he smirked, "after the three of us are done with her, she'll be pretty much used up."

Hermione smacked Draco and he pushed her abruptly to Ron.

"I think she's too much woman for you, Draco," taunted one of the boys and in a blinding flash of light, he was on the floor. The other two were summarily cursed and crumpled unconscious. Draco closed his hand over the fire and turned to Ron and Fred. "One of you need to _obliviate_ him," said Draco. "I don't want to do the perimeters wandlessly. I might put them in St. Mungos."

"**_Obliviate_**," said Fred.

Draco leaned heavily against the wall. "Merlin, I wanted to do that since they had me cornered under the veritaserium. I thought it would be a bad time to leave my magical signature though.

Hermione laid into him. "Don't you ever touch me, you Slytherin bastard!" She slapped him across the cheek.

"I should have given you to them," muttered Draco his hand going to his cheek. "And I was under the impression you were smart." He turned striding past them and gasped with his own sudden movement. "We need to hurry," he said, but made no move.

"Malfoy," muttered Ron menacingly.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Harry, pushing the Invisibility cloak off of himself and peering at Draco. "Are you hurt?"

"I told you twice already. Curse. It was meant for Voldemort. I took it, and even though I shielded _Testudo,_ it shattered some ribs. Without the _Testudo_ it would have crushed me, so Voldemort owes me—which is a good thing."

"Wizard's debt," said Fred.

"Sweet Merlin," breathed George.

"Right," said Draco. "Of course, it wouldn't be a life debt, since he's immortal and he'll probably find some way to get out of it. He doesn't want to owe anybody."

Hermione folded her arms. "That sounds more like a Gryffindor act than a Slytherin one. I thought you said you wanted Voldemort dead."

**_"Mutus!"_** hissed Draco. "Are you out of your mind? You can't say that here." He snapped in a hoarse whisper. "You're smart enough to figure it out," he said, unwilling to explain his strange behavior. He dropped the _mutus_ spell and shook his head in exasperation.

"An alibi, in case we are caught," muttered Hermione under her breath.

"Did you have to take skele-gro?" asked Harry.

Draco nodded. "Vincent is taking my place in the Infirmary while I am here."

"Ouch," said Harry, who had very unpleasant memories of skele-gro from second year. "That's a true friend."

_(A/N: I thought very hard about how polyjuice should work. According to JK, Crouch kept Moody's disfigurements, so Crabbe acquired Draco's broken/crushed bones--as Harry says, "ouch.")_

"I think so," said Draco with a wry grin. "I don't think Madam Pomfrey will notice. She seems to be rather busy." He paused. "Just here—" He pushed open a door and was met with a wand tip at his nose, and then Samara dropped her wand and launched herself on Draco kissing him full on the mouth and holding him tightly.

"You're going to kill me, woman," he growled paling. "Get off." He pushed her to arms length. "It feels good to taste your magic, again" he said softly while pushing her hair behind her ears. "I've missed you."

Her basilisks had slithered off of her and launched themselves on Harry Potter with the same zeal as their mistress, hissing, "Tsez! Shesha! Tsez!" and biting both Shesha and Harry. Koschei slithered off of him, giving free rein to the basilisks. She slithered into the corner under the bed.

"Stop!" Harry shouted as loud as possible in parseltongue, shoving several of Samara's basilisks off of him, wincing from multiple bites.

The entire contingent of Gryffindors had drawn their wands and were wondering where to point them.

"Get in here," Samara snapped, "before someone sees the lot of you." She pulled Draco into the room and the others followed. "Be still," Samara ordered her basilisks sharply, and all of them stopped, silent and still, awaiting her orders. As she spoke, Harry Potter pulled several basilisks off of himself, calming them and hissing to them in parseltongue. He was bleeding from several needle-like bite wounds. The Gryffindors were appalled when Harry went to the corner and fetched Koschei and put her back on his left wrist.

Samara, immediately turned back to Draco, ignoring the exchange between Harry and the basilisks. Without even taking a breath she apologized, "I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't look. I should have known something happened to you. He was about ready to kill you when he left me, and then I couldn't talk to you at the Ministry and you took that curse for Him. I was so worried about you." She kissed him again.

"Ministry?" interrupted Hermione, but Samara ignored her. Her attention was fully on Draco.

"Your aura looks like shit," she said as she ran her hands up and down his chest as if to assure herself that he was indeed alive.

"He wasn't going to kill me," said Draco. "He knows the Old Magic. He's not stupid and I thought _Testudo_ would hold the one at the Ministry. I miscalculated a little." He smirked. "Of course, if I'm at the Hogwarts' hospital wing, I can't be here, now can I?"

By now, Harry had extricated himself from the basilisks and they had returned to Samara.

"I was still worried," said Samara arranging a basilisk as she kissed Draco again and asked, "What spell were you hit with?"

"_Consisus infractus_,"said Draco. "And why in the hell did you let Him give you the Mark?"

Samara took a breath ignoring the second comment. "So how many bones were broken?"

"Three vertebrae and four ribs," said Draco as he inched one of Samara's basilisks aside so that he could rest his hands at her waist. Salacia, unwilling to leave her chosen spot curled herself around Draco's arms as well as around Samara's waist.

"Two ribs punctured a lung, but it was the spine that Madam Pomfrey was worried about. Some of the vertebrae were crushed and she had to remove them. She thought it was Vincent's mistake. He's going to be in detention for the rest of the year, I think, as well as taking my place in the infirmary now."

"And you're going to be in pain for the rest of the year," said Samara, running her hands over his torso. "Merlin, this is a mess. You shouldn't be moving."

"Stamina and pain potions. That little Hufflepuff girl of Vincent's wrapped some sort of Muggle bandage around my ribs to keep them still. She kept telling him he should be loyal to his friends." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Sally Anne," said Samara aghast. "Are you accepting Sally Anne now?"

Draco shrugged. "She was there and she was helpful."

Samara just smiled and kissed him again.

"Well, loyalty has its uses. Anyway, I'm a little foggy with potions, so we need to hurry and get out of here before the sleep potions that Madam Pomfrey gave me kick in."

"You didn't drink them and Apparate here!" said Samara concerned.

"No. I didn't drink them at all. I spat them out and _Pergoed_ the floor, but I did have them in my mouth so they'll have some effect. Now, let's go. We're here to rescue you. Look!" he gestured. "I brought the whole Gryffindor rescue squad. Is Ginny in her room?"

"I think so, but—"

"We don't have much time," said Draco, unloosening Salacia from himself, and stalking to the door "Let's go."

"Go where?" asked Samara, looking at the Gryffindors.

"Back to Hogwarts," said Harry Potter opening the door and peering down the corridor. "Dumbledore will listen to your side of the story."

Samara's eyes narrowed. "He didn't before," she said.

"He thought you took down Hogwarts Wards," said Harry.

"And what makes you think I didn't?" asked Samara.

"Shesha," said Harry. "It was when they were hatching, wasn't it?"

Samara looked at him thoughtfully. "Yes," She said, "but I don't see that it would be a good thing for me to go back. I just want to disappear…until…"

"Until Harry fulfills his part of the prophecy," said Draco. "Come on. Let's go!"

Samara didn't move and Draco came back to her. "Look," he said. "I know you wish you didn't have to choose sides in this war. To tell the truth, so do I, but you can't just go back to the Muggle world. It isn't safe."

"I know," she said.

He kissed her gently. "Come on," he said again.

(POV).

"Draco!" called Gavin as Draco started to exit the room with Samara on his arm.

_Damn it_, thought Draco, pushing the door closed in the Gryffindor's faces. _Now, if questioned, Gavin will tell Voldemort I was here, and there is no way he won't be questioned when Samara comes up missing._ Draco ran a hand through his hair and tried to look nonchalant.

"Had to visit my woman," said Draco and with a slight **Imperio **push, continued. "Don't tell anyone I was here, OK?"

Gavin put a finger to his lips, but with a wink, said, "Sure. Be careful then, your Mum's back."

"My mum?" said Draco concerned.

"Yeah, she brought Lauren—kicking and cursing I might add." Samara clutched Draco's arm. She wasn't going to tell him this--

"Lauren ran your mum through a merry chase of Apparition tag before she and Carman cornered her," continued Gavin. "I think they sent Alvin back to Hogwarts but he didn't want to go unless he could take Lauren with him. Your Mum gives Carman a run for her money in the curse department," Gavin commented, shaking his head. "She is some witch. She crushed the fingers of his right hand one at a time." Gavin shivered. "It was brutal. She made us all watch. I'm just coming back from her chambers where Carman had us assembled. Alvin won't be holding a wand for some time."

"What about his left hand?" asked Draco.

"This is Alvin we are talking about Draco, not you. He'd kill someone if he tried to use his left hand for magic."

"Well, that's what I was thinking of," said Draco with a slight grin. "What about Lauren?"

"Dungeon," said Gavin. "Awaiting the Master's return."

Gavin slapped Draco on the back and said, "Tell Millicent I miss rabbit hunting—in your Forbidden Forest—not his Hall," Gavin corrected with another shiver and Draco nodded. Slowly, he straightened himself to an upright position after Gavin had slapped him.

"Is Narcissa in the dungeon with Lauren?" Asked Samara.

"No, I don't think so." Gavin smiled grimly. "No time for play today." He shivered. Thank Merlin, your Mum didn't visit me in the dungeon," Gavin continued talking to Draco. "I wouldn't have had any feathers left at all. As it is, it will probably be a good week before I can fly any distance. Tell Millicent, OK?"

Draco nodded, with teeth gritted, and glanced at his watch still not trusting himself to speak. Nonetheless, he had to get moving.

"Oh, Carman seemed really insistent that everyone get back to Hogwarts in time for dinner, so don't let her catch you here. She'll be pissed, " warned Gavin as he started down the corridor toward his room. "See you later—" He hurried off and a relieved Draco opened the door to let the Gryffindors out. Samara pointed her wand at the back of Gavin's head. **_"Obliviate,"_** she said.

"What perimeters did you use on that **Obliviate**?" Draco asked Samara.

She smirked at him. "You were never here."

"Perfect," he said. "We have to hurry. Carman and my Mother are back along with the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton kids." Draco started down the corridor at a jog, but broke back to a fast walk, putting a hand to his back. He paused to knock on Ginny's door, but Ron and Fred pushed forward, opening the door, and calling, "Ginny!"

But the room was empty.

"Where do you think she is?" Draco asked Samara.

Instead of answering, Samara addressed one of her basilisks. "Tisha," said Samara. "We need to find Visha. Where is she?" Samara glared at Neville who had his wand half out of his pocket when she hissed.

"Sorry," Neville muttered. "Reflex."

"Kitchen," said Samara, after hissing to the basilisk and Fred and George rolled their eyes.

"We should have known," said George.

"(Mistress with double magic must eat after drinking the magic changing water and gathering the nestmates,)" said Salacia. Harry said nothing, but Samara, knowing he understood the parseltongue, was giving him a searching look as he absently stroked Shesha.

"(I just recently realized that the basilisks are telepathic with each other,)" Harry said to Samara.

"(Only with each other?)" hissed Samara, and Harry frowned, but he couldn't ask her what she meant by that while in the company of the Gryffindors.

"(Shesha,)" asked Harry in parseltongue, "are all basilisks able to communicate by their thoughts."

"(Only bitemates,)" answered Shesha.

Harry tensed. Although this method of communication seemed to be very helpful at this moment, Harry had a flash of worry. "(And if one of your tsez wanted to know where I was, would you tell them?)"

"(It's not so much a telling, Master, it just is.)"

Samara reached out and grasped his shoulder, and hissed very softly, "(I know you want to talk to her now, but you are freaking them out.)" He realized that the Gryffindors were very uneasy about the basilisks and his hissing to them wasn't making them feel at ease. But he did want to talk to Shesha and the other basilisks. It was important. It was almost a need. It took him a few minutes to realize this was an effect of being bitten by the other basilisks. He couldn't do this now!

He noticed that Samara pulled her robes over them and the Gryfindors seemed to relax a little. _Auras,_ thought Harry. _Samara realized how nervous the Gryffindors were and sought to make them a little more comfortable with her and the basilisks. He wasn't sure if that meant she was being kind to them, or just cautious or secretive_.

Nonetheless, Harry realized Ron was right. The basilisks had just become a huge liability. Voldemort could find them at any time. All he had to do was ask his basilisks. Harry wanted to talk to Shesha about keeping his whereabouts secret from anyone including the other basilisks, but he couldn't do it now, and he didn't think Shesha would understand anyway. He put one hand under his robe sleeve and stroked her gently. Koschei slithered up his other robe sleeve to his shoulder to get farther from Shesha. Her skin was cool and comforting. He wanted to curl beside her and fall asleep, but now certainly wasn't the time to go to sleep! _This basilisk venom thing couldn't have happened at a worse time_, he thought.

"How far away is this kitchen?" asked Fred as they jogged to keep up with Draco and Samara. "It's not like we have all day."

Harry started to lag behind. He was trying to remember the turns in the corridors in case he had to retrace his steps, but he realized that he was lost.

Neville stopped and returned to him. "Wait," he called after the others.

Draco frowned as he looked at the shivering Harry Potter, who was dragging behind and hissing to Shesha.

"Something is wrong with Harry," said Hermione who had put her arm around her friend. Ron moved back to help her.

"What's wrong with you, Potter?" asked Draco.

"Basilisk venom," answered Samara. "Some of my basilisks were a little over-zealous in their greeting," she said. She eyed Neville's itching wand hand. "It wasn't on purpose, and in the end it will give him greater communication with Shesha, just—not right now," she said.

"Well, suck it up, Potter." Draco tossed him a stamina potion from his pocket. "We need to hurry."

Harry caught the vial automatically with Quidditch reflexes that were undimmed by his sudden mental lethargy. He looked at the potion vial.

"For Merlin's sake, it's not poison. Drink it. You'll feel better, and we can't afford to have the great Harry Potter at less than your perfect Gryffindor best right now," snapped Draco.

Harry drank the potion and hurried after Draco and Samara. "Almost at the kitchen," Samara promised.

"I don't like this," Neville whispered to Hermione. "Basilisks and Slytherins—they could be leading us anywhere—into a trap.

"Do you think this is wise, wondering all about the castle?" asked Hermione.

"It's not like we have a choice," Ron whispered back as they reached the kitchen.

"Now, wait," warned Draco before he opened the door. "She might not be alone."

(POV)

Ginny sat at the table quietly transfiguring a piece of meat into a mouse for Visha when the door burst open. She turned, unwilling to share this quiet moment with any of the students at the Snow Castle and even less willing to share it with one of the adult Death Eaters. "(Ward me,)" she hissed automatically to Visha, although Visha didn't need the reminder. Ever since Ginny had cursed the Durmstrang boys, she had discovered she needed to watch her back or a curse was coming in retaliation. Once the figured out who had cursed them, they didn't seem willing to let it go. "I just—" she began, but then she realized who she was speaking to.

The surprised look on her face broke into a huge smile as she rushed to her brothers, hugging them all together. "Oh, I've missed you so!" she said between tears. "He promised me I could go home if I just—" she broke into sobs.

"(More bitemates! Mistress is happy!)" hissed Visha as she relaxed when she realized Ginny was not in danger.

"Sh-h-h, Ginny," hushed George as he hugged her, and then he jumped back. "Bloody hell! What is that?" he snapped, seeing Visha at her neck and pulling his wand.

"Umm, it's my new pet," said Ginny holding her hand in front of George's wand. "It's ok."

_"I think your brothers wish they had bought you a nice owl, Ginny Love," Tom commented._

"(Not hissusss?)" asked Visha, surmising that Ginny was happy to see the group of wizards, but confused by George's threatening stance.

"(Not hissusss,)" repeated Ginny, between tears and hugs. "(Tsez. My tsez.)"

Ron growled and threw his hands in the air. "You too Ginny!" he said as he heard her hissing to the basilisk.

"I thought you said, you only remembered how to say, 'open' in parseltongue" said George worriedly.

"Sounds like you learned a few more words," said Fred.

"_Actually no," commented Tom. "She didn't learn any new words. The parseltongue is mine. Not that she has any trouble using it. Now if only she wasn't so stingy with her body…"_

"Tom, I'm not--" thought Ginny

Shesha slithered out of Harry's sleeve, hissing madly. "(Tsez! Visha! Do not bite Master, yet. He is at his limit of basilisk venom.)"

"Harry!" called Ginny hugging him, and switching to parseltongue, "(Are you bonded to any of the others?)"

"Quite a lot more parseltongue words," said George.

"_Oh forget it, brother dear, Harry Potter is here. She doesn't even see you," Commented Tom_

"That's not true, Tom!"

"(Others?)" said Harry confused.

"(No,)" Shesha clarified.

Salacia said. "(My mistress stopped them from biting him.)"

"(There was not enough time to complete the bond with Harry,)" said Samara clarified.

"_Ginny Love, you are going to be dodging curses from your wonderful brothers soon," warned Tom. "They don't appreciate Visha like I do and you've been hissing to Harry and Samara for about five minutes, now."_

"Ginny turned back to her brothers hugging Ron, yet again." Visha tasted him with her tongue, and Ron backed quickly away.

"She won't hurt you," Ginny promised. "Fred--George--"

"Can we save the heartfelt reunion till later," drawled Draco. "We have less than a minute to use the portkey, and that's if Snape managed to give us the full ten minutes he hoped for.

"Let's get out of here," Neville urged, clutching his wand. "I feel—"

While he was speaking they all felt the wards go back up. "No-o-o-o!" cried Hermione grasping Ron's arm as they realized they were trapped. For a few moments they all stood and looked at each other in fear.

(A/N: End of chapter YES I know I'm so evil. Nothing happens through the entire chapter and then I leave you with a cliffie. Oh well, it should at least get you to review promptly, and you did need some things explained. Muhahaha! --Lady Lestrange)

**Answers to Reviews:**

SwimminChica14: Yes, well, what Dumbledore is doing is coming soon, promise. You will soon see who is back at the Snow Castle. Remember Volde sent Carman with the children. He wanted the Hogwarts kids to get back in time for supper, so Dumbledore doesn't know who the children are. I think it's awfully sweet of Volde to care about the kids that much, don't you? Anyway, a number of the adults are still at the Ministy, which is part of the reason why Snape gave them the time 5:28. Of course, there are other reasons too.

Lauz: Well, you should feel guilty. Look how long it took you! Glad you finally reviewed though. I appreciate it. I don't mind the ramble. You can ramble all you like.

DarkLordLongbottom: Letting Neville kill Ethan and Edward? LOL. Well I hadn't considered that, but I promise Neville will have a very special part. I hope you read my previous book, THE SEERS' TRUTH; THE BROKEN BEGINNING, where we learn about Neville's awesome parents in "Fortune Favors the Brave." It's important that you understand Neville's background in this book.

Elbereth: There is always time for a friend. Thanks for the review.

Ennui deMorte: Evil girl. That's me. Just you wait, more stuff to come. As far as Dumbledore pissing off Volde, well it doesn't take much, does it? And I don't think Dumbledore was trying to piss him by calling him Tom. He was trying to remind him of his humanity, which was probably not a really smart thing to do, but then, Gryffs aren't really known for their brains. THANKS FOR BEING A GREAT BETA. Go read ennui's story: Worlds Wrought and Ruined, if you haven't done so yet. It's a great read.

Trillium: I didn't kill Lupin, you silly girl. Why would Volde want a dark "creature" like a werewolf dead? More on Severus' patronus later. Thanks for appreciating the fight between Sirius and Valeriana. I was so disappointed in JK's version--not only did Sirius die, but they were COUSINS. They had a history. They were both in Azkaban. There was so much between them, that this fight should have emphasized, but JK's Bellatrix just seemed to want to kill Sirius and he, her. I think once she realized that her cousin escaped Azkaban, it just grated on her nerves, and let's face it, Valeriana or Bellatrix have a rather short fuse. I don't believe anyone is TOTALLY EVIL or TOTALLY GOOD or TOTALLY INSANE. I hope that is clear in my fic. As far as Dum with Samara. I think, in total Gryffindor mode, he just didn't think. He didn't know she was an Empath and if he did he may have hesitated using the Chamber of Heroes/Chains, or maybe not. He did want her to confess to what she was up to. He knew she was HIDING something. He didn't know it was the information that Snape was a Death Eater or he could have been more lenient. Of course, as you see, Draco had a reason for diving in front of that spell, and he didn't expect to get hurt. He did ward _testudo,_ which is the strongest ward.

Raptors galore: Yes, that would make the werewolf pretty powerful--maybe you could say immortal. After all, though, Voldemort studied all of these folks. Vampires, Werewolves, phoenix--He wanted to know what made each of them immortal so that he could be immortal. Rescue in 8 minutes. Sorry to make you wait, but there are six chapters of "the rescue". Review soon.

Jager: Glad you liked. Please continue to r&r.

Field of Gold: Lots of excitement in the next few chapters. It won't slow down for about six chapters, then there is a catch your breath chapter where we figure out why things happened the way they did and then on to the final confrontation.

Remus: Mostly dead? LOL Glad you liked the twist. I was sort of disappointed no one said. Hey, Lady Lestrange, he's a werewolf, he can't be killed with a spell!

Fire-sprite16: Lots of Ginny/Tom in the next book too. One vote for Dumbledore's death--anyone else. Sniggers.

DraginLover: Glad you liked the Lupin twist and Severus is a spy, for both sides. Dumbledore thinks he belongs to the Light and Voldemort thinks he belongs to the Dark. He lives a very dangerous life. Glad you liked the scene between Valeriana and Sirius. That was my masterpiece and I had a hard time making Volde and Dum as good, because as soon as I read JK's verson of Sirus/Bellatrix, I was disappointed and wanted it to have more hidden meanings like them playing together as children (ie Quit) and the betrayal Valeriana felt (ie Azkaban) and I think it is important that they are both Blacks, even though Sirius rather neglects his background, I think he still does have some hidden pride. Even though Sirius basically won my fight, I couldn't kill of Valeriana yet, so the dementors showed how very alike they really are. I just can't see her hitting him with something inane and his falling through the veil. I hope JK has a good reason for it in the end, because at this point it is very unsatisfying to me.

Kemenran: More is on the way. Just keep reviewing. And you know you can tell me the one thing you like or the thing you hate….

Chernobyl: Glad you liked the Sirius/Valeriana fight. I liked it too. It's my favorite. Samara and Ginny were with Voldemort until Draco was hit with the curse and then Samara was hit with Avada Kedavra. Luckily the Auror was too exhausted to actually kill her. It made Voldemort nervous and he belatedly told both Ginny and Samara to get back to the Snow Castle with the rest of the children and take his basilisks with them. He only had one little detail to take care of--Dumbledore.

JamToeMan: Music is good

Wormtail: Thanks for saying they are getting better and better. I was wondering if the first book was better than this one since it got longer and more detailed reviews, but if you like it, that's the main thing. Sorry I killed you off--I couldn't help myself. The other animagi just wanted to eat you up…;LOL

Silverfox1: My other almost beta. Thank you so much for all of your help and comments and especially questions. I didn't think I could write them myself, because I would give away what was important in the chapter and I wanted to see if you would find it yourself. Invariably, silverfox always does. She also writes a great story. Check out her stuff. And Sevi, well you know Severus, he's always up to something, but he may have met his match…Uh..OH…

A/N: **Now, please be a responsible reader and review.** You don't have to pay for this "book" you only have to say what you liked or didn't like. It is very important for me as a new writer to see what works and what doesn't. Since I have been writing on fanfic, I have discovered that in the heat of the story, you often miss little clues and I have to repeat them--sometimes several times. (Go back and re-read THE BROKEN BEGINNING. You will wonder how on earth you missed that Edward was EVIL and you won't for a moment think he is a Gryffindor.) There are so many clues. Your comments are essential to my growth as a writer. If you are a regular reviewer, I promise I will someday send you a first edition signed copy of my "real" book (which I am already working on) and you can say, I knew that writer when she was 15 and a nobody, and I told her what she was doing wrong. LOL ..

**NOW, GO REVIEW**. 15 reviews till the new chapter. After you have reviewed, please go to the Yahoo group, THESEERSTRUTH. The link for this is on my bio page. Answer the questions there. Ennui and Silverfox have worked hard to make this interesting for you. Please don't let their hard work go to waste. Usually only 3-4 people answer the questions. You can ask your own questions too. Just come and discuss with us…Lady Lestrange


	29. CH 29 Black Hissusss

**The Seers Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 29**

**Black Hissusss**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who thought of the title and who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews:** I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself. However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid…

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**Black Hissusss**

Harry looked frantically around the kitchen, as the wards dropped into place. His eyes met those of his friends, who had come to help him, but he had nothing to offer them. A heavy load of foreboding struck him as he realized the others were all depending upon him. He took a deep breath. "OK, Draco what's another way out?" asked Harry.

"There isn't one," said Draco.

"Hey, I thought Slytherins always had a back up plan," jeered Ron, grabbing Draco by the lapels.

Draco glared at Ron's hands on his robe. "Weasel," he said, calmly addressing Ginny but not looking at her, "If I curse your brother, is your basilisk going to be upset?"

"No, but I will," said Ginny. She reached forward and laid a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ron—"

"That isn't helping us, Ron," said Fred. "Let's all try to work together. We'll figure a way out of this. We're Gryffindors aren't we?"

"We just have to hide until the wards go down again," advised Draco.

"There's another way out," said Ginny.

They all looked at her. "There is?" said Draco.

Ginny nodded. "The floo in his private chambers."

"Your nuts!" snapped Draco. "You're freakin' barmy. I knew you were nuts before but—"

_"The Malfoy boy's right," said Tom. "You can't get out that way."_

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Ron pulling his wand, but George put his hand on his brother's wand arm. "Let's hear what our baby sister has to say."

"The only floo that is open to the outside is in His private chambers," said Ginny. "I was there. Once. With Beatrice—when she was _Crucioed_. How is she, by the way?"

"A witch as of yesterday," said Harry quickly. "Let's concentrate on one thing at a time. Getting out of here is the first thing we need to do."

"No shit, Potter," snapped Draco.

Ginny's face broke into a happy smile, as she thought of her friend, Beatrice. She had given up hope and now hope had been given back to her. She couldn't wait to find out how this miracle had occurred.

"Do you have an idea or not, Malfoy?" Harry snapped back.

"It's impossible," said Draco.

"I've beat impossible odds before," said Harry. "So just stay out of it."

"I should have," replied Draco, and Samara put her hand on his arm. "I don't think we should go to Voldemort's Chambers either," said Samara. "It's too dangerous, and we can't stay here. We need a safer place. Where would be safe?" she wondered aloud. "Draco?"

He rolled his eyes. "Here? Somewhere safe?"

"Well, in any case, Hermione, Neville and Harry should have the Invisibility Cloak," Samara said. "It won't cover more than three and the Weasleys can be Ginny's recruits. After all, anyone would expect to see us here, Draco, but not Harry Potter, nor Hermione. Neville Longbottom would be pretty hard to explain too." She grinned at Neville. "Draco told me your grandmother was hurt. He babysat the Lestrange twins so Snape could get to her—"

Neville gaped at her, but before anyone could act, a group of Veelas led by Darchelle Desideria, one of the new inner circle, entered the kitchen. "'Twas hungry work, yes?" said one of the Veelas, flipping her golden hair over her shoulder, and Darchelle stopped dead in front of her. "Vat have we here, Draco? A leetle fun?" A third Veela stroked a perfectly manicured finger against Harry's cheek, while a fourth smiled, and a fifth one beckoned the boys.

Samara reacted immediately throwing a curse at Darchelle, which the Veela blocked. "The Dark Lord will not be pleased if you harm these ones," said Samara with an obvious voice of authority.

"Zen zee Dark Lord shall not know," said Darchelle, her Veela eyes flashing and her red lips pulled back in a sneer.

"He trusts you, Darchelle," snapped Samara. "You are part of his new Inner Circle."

"Zee men are always too trusting." said Darchelle, as she eyed the twins with undisguised lust.

_Ginny staggered with Tom's sudden and unquenchable desire for the Veelas. She forced herself to stay still, even though Tom begged. "Please, let me touch them. Just one touch." When Ginny did not move, he attempted to take her over. Sparkles of pain danced across her skin._

_(POV)_

Harry shuddered and leaned into the Veela that touched him as Shesha hissed at his wrist. His eyes glazed and the Veela kissed him. "Oh a precious leetle virgin," she said running her fingers through his messy hair and licking her lips.

"Two of them," said another Veela, pulling Neville into her embrace.

Ron elbowed Harry aside, saying, "I saw her first!"

Harry pulled his wand, glaring at Ron, and the Veela holding him laughed, suddenly showing her mouth full of fangs when Hermione stepped forward.

"Get away from him," snapped Hermione, pushing onward, but two of the Veelas hummed in unison, and while Hermione moved towards them, Ron staggered under the impact of their combined voices. His nose began to bleed. Nonetheless, he lurched forward towards the Veelas, crashing past Samara in his haste and completely ignoring Hermione.

"Ron!" screeched Hermione, distracted by the sight of Ron's blood.

Darschelle struck Hermione with one swipe of a razor sharp claw. Hermione blocked with **Protego,** but the force of the blow still knocked her unconscious.

Darchelle went to Fred and George, proclaiming twin magic as the most fun anyway. "You can have the virgins, girls. I get the twins," she purred.

"No, we share the twins!" protested one of the Veelas.

"You don't get any of them," roared Samara as Draco stepped towards the Veelas.

"And the other two?" asked one of the Veelas ignoring Samara, and petting Draco's silky blonde hair.

"Careful," said Darchelle. "We can't have Draco. He's one of the Circle. The Lord Voldemort will give you to the witches and feed your remains to his snake if you hurt him."

"But that's only five," whined one of the Veelas. "You have to share the twins, Darchelle."

"He's only fed two Veelas to his snake," pouted another. "And we have to get caught first."

"Anyway, rumors are that Draco may be out of favor," said the one holding Harry.

Darchelle hissed at her companion and latched on to Ron, nuzzling his neck.

"You don't get three, Darchelle," complained one of the Veelas, and Samara took their moment of ire to fire a spell to disable the Veela holding Draco. **_"Stupefy!"_**

The creature crumpled into a heap, but the other Veelas ignored her completely, and Draco turned around bewildered by their close proximity.

"Shut up," said Darchelle. "You have the virgins." She ran a razor sharp claw from Ron's Adam's apple to his navel, shredding his robe and drawing several thin lines of blood." She licked her fingers. "He tastes like the Mudblood." She shoved Ron at the Veela who was kissing Harry senseless. "You can have him too. I'll just take the twins."

"No! He's mine," complained the Veela who wanted to share the twins with Darchelle.

Although blood was pooling at his feet, the grin never left Ron's face as he stumbled into the other Veela's arms. He turned and put his arms around her neck, holding his bloody face up for her kiss.

"_Ginny Love, let go of me," Tom begged, as if he could actually be a separate entity from her. His desire was fraying her nerves and making it hard to think._

"Apparate!" Ginny shrieked at her older brothers, but none of them heeded her. She struggled against Tom's mania to think of a spell herself.

The other Veela had wrapped her arms around Neville and smirked. "Yes, we will Apparate," she said, showing feral teeth as she smiled at Ginny and Disapparated.

"Apparition tag!" said another. "See if you can catch me now, Draco." In a shower of light she was gone.

_"Go after her," urged Tom._

"You can't Apparate, Draco!" screeched Samara, but Draco had already followed the Veela.__

"You bitch!" snapped Ginny turning her wand on one of the other Veelas. "If you try to Apparate I guarantee you will splinch," she said as she pointed her wand at the Head Veela, Darchelle Desideria, who stood between the twins. 

"Do you vant von, leetle red?" she asked Ginny with a wink and a sweet little girl smile.

"No," shouted Ginny, and the Veela opened her mouth wide showing all of her wicked teeth.

_"She's going to sing," snapped Tom panicked._

**_"Mutus!"_** pronounced Ginny before Darchelle could get a note out, and the Veela growled, launching herself at Ginny with claws extended.

"Merlin," snapped Samara as she grabbed Ginny's hand sprinted from the kitchen. She ran the length of the corridor dragging Ginny along, leaving the Veela's laughter behind.

"Yes, run away leetle girl," called Darchelle. "You might be his Chosen but you are still only a witch." The tinkling laughter of the two Veelas in their glory followed her, and then they heard the Veela song, grating into their souls like an off key symphony. Unfortunately, the boys heard a much different song.

_"Go back! Go back!" begged Tom, struggling fiercely against her control. Sparkles of pain issued through her, once—twice—again and again until they were out of earshot. Ginny stumbled after Samara and if her friend hadn't been dragging her, she doubted that she would have stayed upright. Her feet and hands felt numb and boneless with Tom's repeated attempts to take her over._

"We have to go back," urged Ginny, and then she shook her head as if to clear it. "Hermione—"

"I know, I know," said Samara. "Are you alright, Ginny?"

"Yes," Ginny said rubbing her hands over her stinging arms. "What are my brothers doing here, anyway?"

"Rescuing us," said Samara.

Ginny said nothing. If she weren't so worried, she would have thought the whole rescue was rather sweet.

_"Sorry, Ginny," said Tom shamefaced, as he now realized he had repeatedly tried to take her over to follow the Veelas. "I hate Veelas—especially bored Veelas."_

"Bored?" wondered Ginny.

"_Well, Salazar wouldn't allow them to play with the Death Eaters, but the Gryffs are fresh meat, and they're hungry for new men. I doubt that Salazar would let them play with the Ministry officials, either. He wanted to do that himself."_

Ginny shuddered. "They're horrible--all claws and fangs. Why would you follow them?"

"_Men don't see their claws and fangs," Tom explained his actions. "They're just dizzy with the dames. I've read about the veelas of course, and I've seen their handiwork, but men only see sweetness and beauty, and faced with their voices, I couldn't help myself. After all, they are sirens, and have the gift of illusion."_

"Millicent was right," Ginny spat. "They aren't witches. They are creatures."

"_Actually, some veelas are quite gentle with their mates, especially wizard mates, but they are the exception."_

"What will the veelas do to the boys?" Ginny asked.

_"Have a shag with them, and then shred the skin from their bodies," said Tom in a matter of fact tone. "Sometimes they shred the skin from their bodies while having it off_."

"But Fleur Delacour wasn't like that," argued Ginny blushing.

"_And other than attending Hogwarts, how many traits do say—that little Hufflepuff, Sally Anne Perks and I share?" snapped Tom. "These are Death Eaters, Ginny Love—bored, frustrated, Death Eater Veelas. Anyway, the Goblet of Fire is spelled to pick the good guys, not the most qualified."_

"But—" Ginny sputtered.

"Do you think they are gone?" asked Samara.

Ginny stared at her, trying to get her mind back in the present. "We have to go back for Hermione and then the boys."

Samara nodded. "Yes. They shouldn't have hurt her," she hoped. "After all, they only crave men or wizards. Hermione should have been a help to us. She's smart and she's fast."

"They were just too quick," Ginny defended her friend. "And when that Veela went after Ron, I think she lost her composure."

"And what happened to you, Ginny? You froze."

"_Don't you dare tell her what happened to us," warned Tom, "Or I will make your life so miserable--"_

"What? Is that something new?" she asked Tom, but she answered Samara softly. "I know," she said. "Sorry."

Samara nodded. "Your aura was yellow," Samara commented, and since Ginny didn't elaborate, Samara continued. "They won't hurt Draco though, if he's okay after that Apparition. He shouldn't even be out of bed," she moaned, her hands shaking as she put her wand into her disheveled hair.

"Let's go wake Hermione," suggested Samara.

"Let's," said Ginny.

**_"Ennervate,"_** said Ginny as they approached Hermione.

Samara picked up the Invisibility Cloak that was left on the kitchen floor. "You know, for the amount of grief that Harry and Draco have given me over this cloak, they are mighty careless with it."

Ginny grimaced at her friend as Samara pointed her wand to the still prone Veela beside Hermione. _"**Obliviate**,"_ she said.

"Samara, you are getting way too good at that spell," said Ginny.

Her friend grinned at her. "Why?" she laughed. "Afraid I might use it on you?"

_"We can block it," Tom assured her._

Ginny just shook her head and asked, "Do you even know the way to the dungeons, Samara?"

"Down?" suggested Samara. With a sigh, she continued, "Yes, unfortunately, I know exactly where to go. Come on."

"Wait! You know, too" said Ginny. "When were you there?"

"Millicent talked me into visiting Gavin," Samara confessed. "She doesn't do a very good healing spell."

"What?" asked Hermione rubbing her head. "Where are—" she jerked upright as she realized that the boys were gone. "Veelas," she breathed.

"We're going after them," Ginny said in a reassuring voice.

_"I don't know that is such a good idea," said Tom._

"Where would they go?" asked Hermione.

"Beauxbatons wing," said Samara with certainty.

"We are going after them," Ginny insisted to Tom in her thoughts.

"_Ginny Love, we are not going to be much help."_

"We need another helper," said Samara. "Lauren."

"Lauren's in the dungeon," said Ginny. "We know where she is."

"She's in the dungeon?" protested Hermione. "Is that supposed to be reassuring? Do we have time to get Lauren?"

"It doesn't matter now, the wards are back up, we might as well go after her and then the boys," said Ginny, slinging the Invisibility Cloak over Hermione and rubbing her shoulder in a comforting gesture that her Mum used when she was upset. "You have to wonder who is saving whom here," she said wryly.

Hermione pushed the Invisibility cloak off of her head and looked at Ginny.

"_Tell her to hide that bushy head," snapped Tom. "How would we explain her?" _

"You need to stay hidden, Hermione, and we have to get Lauren first," said Samara.

"Why?" Hermione began, "I mean if she choose to be here—" but Ginny interrupted.

"_Can we just curse the know-it-all and leave her here?" asked Tom. "After all, she chose to be here_."

"Shut up, Tom," thought Ginny and with effort she forced her thoughts back to Hermione's question. "Why do you need to stay hidden? That should be obvious to you, or why do we need Lauren?"

"Lauren," Hermione asked.

She didn't bother to remind Hermione that everyone at the Snow Castle knew by now that Narcissa and Valeriana forced Lauren to be here, but Ginny answered rather tightly, "Because she can follow the Apparition signature of the Veelas and find them. You don't know how to do that, do you Hermione?"

_"Good," thought Tom. "Put the know-it-all in her place."_

"Why?" thought Ginny. "Don't like the competition, Tom?"

_Tom burst out laughing._

Hermione shook her head. "Sounds like a useful skill though," she said. "I'd like to learn it."

Tom's laughter brought a smirk to Ginny's lips. "Yes," she said dryly. "It's on my _To Do_ list too. Right after I learn to Apparate."

"We should hurry," said Hermione.

"You're right," Samara agreed, but Ginny said nothing, instead listening to Tom's commentary in her head.

"_We have plenty of time," said Tom. "The Veelas will play with them for hours. They want to have some fun. They won't kill the wizards, yet. It might not be pleasant—but well on the other hand, it might be very pleasant," smirked Tom._

"Tom," admonished Ginny, silently scandalized. "What about the claws and fangs?"

_Tom sighed. "Oh they might be a little bruised and abused, but not dead except for Harry Potter, that could be a problem—"_

Ginny expressed her confusion to Tom.

"_Well, considering how easily Salazar can get into Harry Potter's head since they already have that little connection. Right now, if he realizes Harry is in the hands of His Veelas, He will know exactly where Harry is. And afterwards…" Tom paused uncomfortable, but his thoughts bled through to her anyway. "You do realize that Occlumency wards are considerably strengthened by virginity."_

"Ginny?" asked Samara. "Are you with us?"

"I have an idea," Ginny said to Samara and Hermione. "It worked before—"

"What?" wondered Hermione. "We don't have time Ginny. It's bad enough you want to go off after Lauren. We need to find the boys now."

Ginny expressed what Tom had told her and Hermione went white. She didn't seem to be comforted so the girls started down the corridor.

"_You can Apparate closer to the dungeon, Ginny Love," said Tom. "I can do it for you. I could even show you how--"_

"Tom—are you sure you want to Apparate closer to the dungeon or do you want to Apparate closer to the Veelas? Apparating into a room full of Veelas when you are in control of my body is not a really bright move."

"Hmmmm," Ginny could positively feel Tom wanting to tell her something.

"Well, what is it?" she snapped mentally.

"_You thought of something," said Tom. "All by yourself, you thought of something_."

"I've thought of things before," said Ginny petulantly.

"_And you were right," said Tom._

"Well, thank you," said Ginny dryly, "but I have thought of things before, you just didn't notice."

"_Right, I forgot," said Tom snidely. "You thought of going to Salazar. You thought of getting a Dark Mark._

Ginny cringed, and for a moment she nearly broke into sobs again.

_Tom reached out to her. "Ginny Love—"_

"Ginny?" said Samara.

Ginny looked at her blankly for a moment, but then she felt the movement of Visha on her neck.

"_You were going to save Harry," Tom reminded her in a bored voice._

Ginny took Visha from her neck and held her in her hands while she hissed to the basilisk.

"What are you telling her?" Hermione wanted to know, but Ginny didn't answer. She continued to hiss to Visha for several seconds.

"What is she saying?" Hermione asked of Samara

"Done," said Ginny with a smile. "Thanks Visha. I hope Harry stays out of trouble until we can find him." She paused, switching to English. "Now, let's go find Lauren," she said.

"_Ginny," Tom said softly. "We aren't going to be much use against the Veelas." She could feel his worry and his fear even though he was trying to hide it._

"You mean you aren't going to be much use against the Veelas, Tom."

"_You just want to save your precious Harry Potter," snapped Tom. "You know, he still won't notice you. He'll pat you on the head like a puppy. What a sweet little sister of my friend you are," he sneered in a mocking tone_.

"Can you do a deafness spell on your self, Tom?" asked Ginny. "And while you are at it, try Mutus too."

"Ginny," said Samara "Are you coming?" She gave Ginny a little push on her arm and Ginny looked at her.

Hermione with wand raised had marched down the corridor in front of them and peeked from beneath the invisibility cloak.

"Sure," whispered Ginny with a grin. Now that Samara knew about Tom she found these episodes easier to deal with. "Just talking to the man in my head," she explained. "If I start following a Veela or something, just _Imperio_ me, Samara."

Samara laughed and they hurried to catch up with Hermione.

(POV)

Harry did not want to be rescued. The totally engulfing intoxicating feeling of being kissed by the Veela was unimaginable. He never wanted it to end. He felt her lips on his and her arms around him and magic all around and through him. He pushed aside her robes, searching for skin. Suddenly the Veela's lips stiffened beneath his and she shuddered, falling to the ground in a dead faint. Two distinctive puncture marks marred her skin just above her left breast.

"(Shesha!)" he growled. "(What did you do that for?)"

"(Visha says,)" replied Shesha.

"(Do you always listen to Visha?)" Harry spat.

"(Visha says Veelas mate like black hissusss,)" Shesha said patiently as if she was explaining to one of the slower basilisks.

"(Black hissusss? Black spiders?)" repeated Harry trying to understand.

"Black Widow spiders," said Ron, examining the deep gashes in his belly. "They kill their mates. Is she—is she?" stuttered Ron pointing to the Veela.

"She's not dead if that's what you are asking," said Harry. "I've already told Shesha I don't want her to kill for me."

"Oh," said Ron rubbing his stomach and abdomen. "Would she do that? Kill for you?" squeaked Ron.

"Yes, but—what happened to you, Ron?" asked Harry finally noticing that Ron's robes were shredded and deep gashes were cut in his chest and belly. Blood stained his face from his earlier nosebleed. "You're bleeding."

"If I remember correctly," said Ron between clenched teeth, "our little sweetheart there wanted a taste of blood as an appetizer."

Harry shuddered. "I remember," he said. "Ron?"

"Hmmm?" said Ron, examining the wounds in his belly, and sucking in his breath. "Hurts," he said touching the wounds gingerly.

Harry raised his wand against Ron's belly and closed the wounds, which left deep purple scars in spite of Harry's expertise with healing spells. "You should probably have a potion to stop infection," said Harry looking at his friend for a long moment. "Let's not tell anyone about this."

"Good idea," agreed Ron rubbing his hand over his now healed, but still tender, belly.

Harry nodded.

"Now how do we go about finding the twins? They don't have a pet like yours to save them." He looked at Shesha. "Nice basilisk," he said, tentatively holding one finger several centimeters from her back and stroking the air. "Can you tell her I'm glad she came along, Harry?"

"Of course," said Harry, wrapping Shesha around his wrist, and hissing to her. She put out her tongue tasting Ron's essence on the air as he spoke. "I don't know how to find the twins and I wish I had the Invisibility Cloak." He paused for a moment. "Come on," he said.

"(Wait,)" said Shesha. "(Salacia says to make the sheiss that mate like black spiders to forget you.)"

"(Salacia?)" said Harry, raising his wand for the _Obliviate_ spell. "(Who the hell is Salacia?)" But he realized it had to be one of Samara's basilisks.

"(Yes,)" Shesha agreed. "(The one she wears at her waist)"

"(Tell her thank you,)" said Harry.

"(She already knows that you send thanks, Master,)" said Shesha. "(And Visha says do not turn over any more sheiss' rocks. Stay out of trouble now.)"

"(I am not looking for trouble,)" Harry sputtered. _Ginny was telling him to stay out of trouble?_

"(Make the sheiss to forget. Mistress says. It is sisshausss,)" insisted the basilisk. It was obvious that Shesha did not understand how forgetting would be as good as devouring the prey. She was only repeating what Visha had learned from Ginny.

Harry frowned. He didn't see how _Obliviating_ the Veela was a matter of survival, either, but he didn't argue. Shesha thought the alternative was to kill her, and to Harry, that was not an option.He didn't think Shesha would kill the Veela when he had told her not to kill for him, but he didn't want to take any chancesOnce a basilisk got an idea in its head, it was very hard to defer from that idea. Obviously, Shesha was, at this moment, more inclined to listen to Visha than to himself.

**"Obliviate!"** said Harry Potter. They started stealthily down the corridor in search of the twins and Neville.

"Keep your eyes open for Death Eaters," said Harry. "I wish we knew where we were." He paused, realizing that Koschei might be able to help. "(Koschei?)" he asked. "(Maybe you can give us some directions. Do you know where we are?)"

"(Yes,)" hissed the snake, but she offered no further directions.

"(Why are you asking the snake?)" hissed Shesha petulantly.

"(Because you've never been here before,)" Harry protested.

"(Bitemates have been here,)" said Shesha as if that explained everything.

(A/N: Fanfic keeps taking out my parselmouth parenthesis. I hope they stay this time. It didn't. I had to put them in by hand, grrr. )

Go review!

**Answers to reviewers:**

Trillium: Do you love me? Ah, I feel so honored. No Tommy doesn't feel left out. He's planning to take over. Is this our beloved Tom Riddle or not? Muwhawha.

Little Red Rabbit: Sorry about the cliffie. Well not really, it keeps you guys reading otherwise you desert me. So read on, imperio!

Chernobyl" Love your reviews. Funny if the rescue went to waste? Oh no. the Gryffs have to do something. Of course it's your guess if it goes right or wrong. As far as why the wards went up, we will be in Volde's head shortly and you will know all you wish to know.

Silverfox: Love your comments, and to me, anyone who gives as insightful and faithful comments as you do deserves to be called an "almost beta" Honestly, no one would guess that English is not your first language. You seem to have a very good grasp of it. Anyway, I'm not really looking for grammar nitpicks. I was looking for forgotten holes in the plot or things that are unclear, and you always seem to notice the stuff I work hardest to get right, which is very gratifying. Poor dear trying to survive without the net. Have you recovered?

Mistrunner: Glad you liked the Snape thing with Lupin. I had to have him say, "I live in a castle full of idiots somewhere in the story. It's just soooo Snape.

Raptors galore: Yes, well I wanted you to wonder what will happen now that the barriers are back up. You know it was way too easy for Harry to get B Bunny out. Now the fun starts.

Ammarine: Will they make it back to Hogwarts? You will find out in hmmmm2-3 chapters I guess. As far as Sturgis being obvious, do you mean obvious to the reader or obvious to Sirius? Because the reader knew about Sturgis a while back and I figured he was going to kill Sirius. He couldn't let him walk in on the Dark Lord and Dumbledore! He was just not as good as he thought he was.

Jager: Action packed to please.

Fire-Sprite 16: Another vote for Dumbledore's death. I'll keep it in mind. Sniggers. Wait, more Ginny/ Tom and family coming up. Volde will find out! Ya think?

DraginLover: Yeah. 15 on May 4, just like the Lestrange twins. I gave them my birthday. Oh yes, poor Neville, but right now, he might not mind not having B Bunny. Heheheh. I know I gave the veelas a little different flavor than JK, but sorry, I just thought Fleur was incredibly boring, and veelas sounded too much like sirens to me. This was foreshadowed in my previous fic in the discussion in the Slyth common room when Millicent called the veelas creatures, and sirens are supposed to have razor sharp claws and fang teeth, which their victims of course never see until it is too late, thus the changes. Oh, and everyone does not need to be back from the Ministry. Volde left the DE in charge when he went to fight Dumbledore, so they have separated. The children have come back in the care of Carman. That's it so far. We don't know if anyone else came back before the wards were activated--or even why the wards were activated. We will know as soon as you get in Volde's head--shortly.

JamToeMan: Thanks for the kudos. Your words are music to my ears--well I guess to my eyes since I'm reading, not hearing. Do you think Ginny heard Tom in her head when he wrote to her in the diary. Oh--oh--off on a plot bunny.

Lauz: You hate Dumbledore? Heheehe. Me too, but I don't know if I want to kill him. He's just so deliciously inane. So like a Gryff. And the whole point of this story is for people to realize that sometimes choices come with hidden costs. Better than ootp! Oh goodie. I thought so, but hey, it's mine and I'm prejudiced. There were so many things I wanted to change about OotP, including Sirus' death, not because I liked Sirius that much, but because it served no purpose. I could go on and on, but you can just read my poem about OotP. It sums it up. Ginny not being affected was just impossible in my idea. After all, people who were physically raped or molested usually have some scars. I would think that being possessed falls in the same type of category. And Tom is the best. Loved you post! Please review often. My ego can handle it. Lol.

Wormtail: Sorry about the cliffie.

Kemenran: You wrote a review. I'm speechless.

Croneus: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate the extra effort you put into this with transcribing the story so you can listen to it instead of reading. Then doing the same with a review. Wow! Aren't those of you who never review feeling really small right now? You should be.

**So go review!**

15 Reviews gets the next chapter.


	30. CH 30 Dungeon of the Dark Lord

**The Seers Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 30**

**Dungeon of the Dark Lord**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks** to my beta, ennui de mort who thought of the title and who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews:** I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself. However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid…

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**Chapter 30**

**Dungeon of the Dark Lord**

Voldemort's dungeon made the Chamber of Secrets look like a palace. The shadows lengthened and the slime on the walls thickened as they proceeded deeper into the bowels of the Snow Castle. The air cooled somewhat and Ginny couldn't control her shivering.

_"Come on, Ginny Love," admonished Tom. "You are way too old to be afraid of the dark. Anyway, this is much better than the Beauxbaton's wing. This is almost like the Chamber. The Chamber wasn't so bad was it?"_

"You mean, where you tried to kill me?" Ginny asked.

"_I was a different person then," said Tom. "I would never hurt you. Well, not much," he clarified, thinking of the number of times he had tried to possess her to follow the Veelas._

He wouldn't, thought Ginny. He was different. He was nothing like Voldemort anymore. Her influence had changed him. She had to believe that.

Ginny pulled her wand, planning to cast _Lumos_, but Tom interrupted her.

_"I wouldn't do that, Ginny Love. The light might wake all manner of things that are better left sleeping."_

Ginny put her wand away and resolved to feel her way along the damp and slimy walls, all the time muttering, "I hate tunnel passages. I hate tunnel passages."

"Maura said the dungeon wasn't used at all until He came," Samara whispered as if there was some reason to leave the silence undisturbed. She didn't seem to have trouble navigating in the dark.

"I thought you knew where Lauren is?" said Hermione as she peeked out from under the Invisibility cloak making her look rather like a ghoul with only a floating head of wildly matted hair and an invisible body.

"Well, not exactly," said Samara. "Not yet." She hissed to her basilisks and then told the girls, "Alvin came this way. They don't know Lauren's scent so I can't have them trace her. We can only hope that Alvin followed her the whole way."

_"She should stay under the Cloak," Tom said of Hermione. "We are more likely to find a guard or two in the dungeon than any where else."_

Ginny passed on the information to Hermione, and she disappeared beneath the cloak.

Samara paused and put a hand out to stop her companions. There was a light ahead, a shadow of gray on the darkness and she frowned recognizing the light as the aura of—something. It was definitely not wizard or witch. It was too big. It was a creature of some sort, but a creature of such size that she was momentarily cowed.

"Go back," she whispered. "We will go around—find another way."

Her basilisks were hissing anxiously, Samara warned them in parseltongue to be silent, when Hermione spoke, still in a whisper, "It's a dragon."

Suddenly the whole corridor shook as the creature shifted its body position to look at them with one of its three heads. One head spoke in parseltongue, "(It is too late to be silent, my hissusss. The Master has said, 'Many will enter, but none may leave.' Prepare to die)."

A movement further down the corridor warned Samara of its impending attack. For just a second she thought it was another doorway opening, but then she realized it was the length of the creature's tail. "Run!" she shouted, thinking it could crush them all with one blow, and although Ginny stumbled at her side, she didn't see Hermione under the cloak. She turned loosing a spell from her wand, **"Somnus!"**

"It takes at least six wizards to Somnus a dragon," said Ginny, "and that's no dragon. Dragons don't have three heads."

"_It's something Salazar created," surmised Tom. "NO!"_

Tom's shout issued through Ginny as Samara threw **oculis! **blinding the creature, and Ginny reacted almost instantly, pulling Samara's wand arm off focus. The spell bounced harmlessly along the bony ridge of one eye and they both darted out of the way of the striking tail.

"What's wrong with you!" Samara snapped at Ginny.

"What good would it do to blind one head?" asked Ginny, as Tom told her that was sure to anger it beyond rage.

Samara's basilisks dropped from her body, hissing a challenge, but Visha stayed firmly around Ginny's neck.

"(Protect the mistresses!)" hissed Zissi, and Samara's hand went automatically to Salacia who remained at her waist. "(No. Stay back, all of you,)" she hissed to the basilisks. "(We are not fighting. We are escaping.)"

"Do dragons speak parseltongue?" asked Samara as they tried to regroup in an outcropping of rock. She looked around frantically for Hermione, who was no where in sight.

"I didn't think so," said Ginny, thinking of Harry stealing the dragon's egg in the Triwizard Tournament. If he could have spoken to the dragon, he might have been able to convince it that he didn't want its real eggs, only the golden globe in the nest. She tried to remember anything that Charlie had told her about dragons, when the corridor was lit with fire from a different head. The fire was like lightening, white hot and seared their lungs before it reached them, rolling through the corridor like a forest fire.

**"Glacio Flagro!"** shouted both girls, grasping hands and trying to pull each other away from the blast of flame. In response, a wall of ice was formed with the monumental force of their shared spell. It held the first blast, but the fire melted through the second, creating a rush of steam and water.

"Whoa!" breathed Ginny. "That was more than a double spell.

"Give me your hand," demanded Samara, and consciously sharing magic, cried, **"Somnus!"**

The spell hit the creature, and it stumbled back momentarily stunned. The walls shook with the weight of its staggering. Its muzzle drifted downward as if it was sleepy, but it shook itself free of the spell and roared its rage, spewing fire.

Again, Ginny and Samara held it off with **Glacio Flagro.**

"It's not enough," said Samara.

"Hermione!" Ginny screamed, unheeding of secrecy now, and a dozen voices answered her from the cells further down the corridor. Ginny sprinted for them, followed by Samara. "Let us out. We'll help you." they called in seductive voices.

As Ginny rushed to open the cell doors, Samara reached out to her.

"No, Ginny, wait. They don't have human auras," she said, but it was too late, the cell was already open and the creatures pushing forward, opening the cells of their companions.

_"Vampires," said Tom, and when Ginny made no move to attack them, he said, "These, unlike Darla, have tasted human blood. They are dangerous and have probably been deprived of their potion."_

**"Diem Meridius!"** shouted Ginny, filling the chamber with light and a thousand shrieking voices filled her ears as the noon day sun flooded the area sending those of the undead scuttling for the dark corners of their cells.

_"Dragon," said Tom, as the other creature stalked them._

Although the vampires were hurt by the pseudo sunlight, it didn't seem to have enough strength to kill them. "It's not the real sun," said Samara. "Try it together."

"_Dragon!" said Tom anxiously._

The girls joined hands and the **Meridius** spell set one of the vampires on fire. He hissed and dove forward rolling on the floor, squashing the flames, but again wasn't killed. When he came to his feet he was inches from them and the others behind him were enraged.

_"Dragon!" screeched Tom in Ginny's head and she grabbed Samara's hand, warding **Glacio Flagro** again._

The flames from the dragon fried the vampire in front of them, but the girls managed to get behind the ice.

_"Thank you for finally listening to me," snarled Tom. "Are you trying to get us killed, Ginny? You almost succeeded, and I don't relish becoming one of the undead either_."

The remaining vampires scattered from the flames and were lost in the shadows.

The dragon rolled his head and snapped up the burnt remains of one of the vampires swallowing him whole, muttering in parseltongue, "(There was no undead. I did not burn any of the undead, Master. Only hissusss!)"

"(We are not hissusss!)" shouted Samara in parseltongue, but the dragon ignored her, continuing to mutter worriedly to himself.

Several of the vampires, hissing and spitting approached the dragon. "He promised that if ever you should loose your fire on us, we could claim you. We shall taste dragon blood now!" said one of the vampires as they suddenly swarmed like dozens of hungry mosquitoes over the body of the dragon.

In a feeding frenzy the three headed dragon was snapping up one vampire after the other, blowing flame and crushing their bones like broom splints, but more and more vampires were just as intent upon feeding upon the dragon.

Samara and Ginny turned and ran the other direction, deeper into the dungeon. "Wait! Wait!" called Samara. "Where's Hermione?"

"She's under the Invisibility cloak. I can't see her," said Ginny. "What if she's unconscious? Hurt?"

"I could probably find her aura," said Samara looking back into the pandemonium which had broken loose in the chamber. "And heal her if need be. Hermione!" she shouted.

_"Coming after Lauren was a mistake," said Tom. "You should have just gone after the boys."_

"Too late now," thought Ginny.

_"No it isn't too late. Let's get out of here. Leave them both. There's nothing you can do."_

"No, Tom. I didn't leave you, and I'm not leaving either of them." She turned to Samara. "Are you sure, Samara?" she asked looking worriedly at the raging creatures in the chamber beyond. "We could go back together and then find Lauren."

"No," said Samara turning back towards the Chamber. "The vampires will smell her blood. I can find her. If I look for it I can probably see her aura through the cloak. You can't help me with this. You go on and find Lauren. I'll meet you at the entrance to the dungeon."

"But you have no one to share magic with—" said Ginny. "You can't use your gifts without another person."

Samara grinned at her. "So I'll have to find Hermione fast." She paused. "I'm still a witch, Ginny, and I think a little Fire Elemental might slow the vampires down. I'll be okay. I have the known enemy. Be careful." She gave Ginny a little push and then headed back into the chamber at a run. Ginny stared at her for a moment before pushing on into the darkness of his dungeon.

"I hate tunnels," whispered Ginny, "and I especially hate being alone in tunnel passages."

_"Who ever said you were alone, Ginny Love."_

Ginny slunk down the dark narrow corridor, keeping watch for any Death Eaters that might be guarding his dungeon.

_"I can't believe we're doing this,"_ thought Tom, "_I can't believe that this is even happening! Ginny Love, His dungeon is not a safe place."_

"I know that Tom. So help me. **_Lumos_**," Ginny muttered. The dim light, illuminating not even twenty feet in front of her, shone weakly in the dank corridor, and Tom continued to remind her of just how foolish she was to get involved in this in the first place, and how lighting her wand was doubly foolish.

"Shut up," Tom, she hissed.

_Tom was growing more anxious by the second. "Ginny, you need to go back. This is stupid."_

"So you continually tell me," snapped Ginny. "It's in my nature, you know. I can't help it. So let's just drop it, OK?"

_"What?"_

"Stupidity," she said with a sharp edge to her voice. "If you have nothing constructive to offer, I really wish you would be quiet."

The request seemed to be better taken than her demands for him to shut up. She could feel his nervous presence, but he ceased his constant chatter. He certainly didn't have a Gryffindor bone in his body.

_"Well, actually, Ginny Love, all of the bones in my body are Gryffindor," said Tom._

"It's my body," Ginny disagreed.

_"Oh, Ish kabible," said Tom and with a mental shrug, he continued his nervous vigil._

"What?"

_"Whatever," Tom translated._

Then Ginny heard a sound. She stopped.

"Lauren?" said Ginny as she reached one of the lower, darker cells.

Lauren jumped to her feet.

"We need your help," said Ginny.

"My help?" said Lauren amazed. She pushed the strings of her white-blonde hair out of her face as she grasped the bars of the cell. "I think it's the other way around. I need your help. Can you get me out? I don't want to be a Death Eater," she said. "I know what the ward is. I just can't open it."

"What?" asked Ginny as she lay her hands on the lock trying to ascertain what the ward was. It was complicated. "If you know what it is," she asked, "why can't you open it?"

"Because my father made these locks. I know how to open all of them, but I can't do it. The sealing word is in parseltongue." Lauren continued speaking, giving Ginny directions to open the lock and then instructed, "Now, we'll have to try to discern the sealing word."

Ginny hissed a single word in parseltongue. The lock snapped open, under her hand, and Lauren looked around amazed. "That was awesome," she said. "It would have taken me a good ten minutes to find the word to break that ward, even if I could say it."

"I had help," Ginny said enigmatically. "Don't worry. Soon we will be safe. The boys can take you back to Hogwarts, Lauren. He can't get to you there."

"He already did," said Lauren. "Or at least Narcissa did."

_"He made the wards at Hogwarts too, you know," said Tom._

"What?" Ginny struggled to listen to Tom and Lauren at the same time.

"_Salazar helped to make the original wards of Hogwarts," explained Tom in a patient tone. "I just wanted you to know_."

"Why? So that I would never feel safe again?" spat Ginny.

_"So that you would never feel complacent," corrected Tom. "After all, if Marshall's daughter could get through his wards, how long do you think it will take Salazar to demolish the wards that he and the other founders originally placed."_

_"_But Dumbledore changed them. Someone changed them," protested Ginny. "Didn't they?"

"_And they went down—" Tom said._

Ginny sputtered, but her voice ground to a halt.

_Tom snorted. "Your naiveté amazes me," he said._

"Come on," Ginny said trying to ignore Tom and pulling Lauren forward.

Lauren took several steps out of her cell and fell. Ginny put her arm around the Slytherin, attempting to help her rise.

"I can _do_ this," Lauren said stubbornly through her tears, gritting her teeth. She finally stood.

"What did he do to you?" asked Ginny.

"Not Him," said Lauren. "Aunt Narcissa."

"Merlin," breathed Ginny, thinking of her own aunts. Aunts she probably would never see again now that she was a Death Eater. "Did Narcissa curse you?"

Lauren shook her head. "Just some sort of weakness spell," she said. "And _Confundus._ Not a serious curse." There was a roar in the corridor ahead and Lauren looked around wildly. "What was that?" she demanded.

"Dragon," said Ginny. "Or something He fashioned that is similar to a dragon. It has three heads."

Lauren sank down against the wall. "Oh Merlin—"

"Are you hurt?" asked Ginny. "How can I help you? I don't see anything that needs immediate attention—"

"No," said Lauren at last. "I'm not hurt. Valeriana wanted to, but Narcissa said they couldn't, not until after—after—" Lauren broke down absolutely unable to speak.

_"After she gets the Dark Mark," supplied Tom._

"I guessed that," thought Ginny. "I'm not completely stupid, you know."

_"One wonders at times," replied Tom._

"Oh just at times now? I must be getting better." Ginny surprised herself by joking with Tom when Lauren was in such obvious distress. Well, perhaps it was because she herself had a Dark Mark and was trying desperately not to consider herself completely lost because of it.

_"That's because of my influence," Tom assured her._

"Oh dragon dung," said Ginny, and then she continued speaking in her thoughts to Tom. "You flatter yourself."

Lauren looked up at Ginny's exclamation and tried to get herself under control. "They took Alvin. I don't know what happened to him." She sat down and sobbed, completely fouling Ginny's attempt to rescue her.

"You have to hurry," said Ginny. "The boys are stuck with the Veelas. They came to rescue us, Lauren. We should get out of here, now."

"Boys?" she asked confused. "Alvin?"

"No, sorry," said Ginny. "Not Alvin. He's back at Hogwarts. He didn't want to leave you, but they forced him to go back. Some of the Gryffindors have come to rescue us with Draco."

"Where are they?" asked Lauren looking around a little confusedly.

"Well, they got side-tracked by the Veelas. We need your help. Can you follow the Veelas' Apparition trial?"

"Veelas?" said Lauren, and then she shook her head as they began climbing the dungeon stairs. "Sure, if I knew where they started from," said Lauren, "but I don't know the Castle really well. That's why Narcissa caught me, and her _Confundus_ is making me feel a little foggy."

"Maybe if you try _Finite Incantatum_?" suggested Tom.

**"Finite Incantatum,"** said Ginny, pointing her wand at Lauren.

_"I'm not making a single comment about your intelligence or lack thereof," Tom said. "After all not every one would have known how to interrupt that spell--"_

"Shut up, Tom."

Lauren shook her head as if she was shaking off water after a swim in the lake. "Oh that's better," she said. "Thank you."

"Samara can see the Apparition," said Ginny, walking quickly back towards the corridor where she had left Samara with the dragon. "I just hope Samara is alright."

"She can see it?" exclaimed Lauren.

"Yes, said Ginny. "She says it's like an aura. She can even tell which one is the most recent, but Voldemort didn't want us to learn to Apparate, and we don't know what to look for in the signature."

_"You can Apparate," said Tom. "Of course, not right now. You can't Apparate in His dungeon, but as soon as you get out—"_

"No Tom."

"Merlin, she would be wicked good at Apparition tag," said Lauren, and Ginny grasped her arm. "There were some vampires up here," she said, "and a dragon-like creature. We need to be careful."

Lauren nodded. "I don't have a wand," she said, as she raised her hands in readiness of a spell.

"You'll need fire for the vampires," said Ginny.

Lauren shook her head. "I can't. I can't control fire."

Ginny looked at the wand in her hand, ready to offer it to Lauren, but Tom protested.

"_No, Ginny Love. You don't have that much control of fire either. No! We've got her this far. She's on her own now!"_

"Water for the dragon and Air for the vampires then," Ginny suggested, "Fan my I_ncendio_." Lauren nodded.

"Ginny!" called Hermione as they entered the chamber.

Ginny had thought that Hermione and Samara would be gone by now, but she was terribly relieved to see them both still alive and well. They were backed against the opposite wall, just a few feet from the doorway. It was obvious that they had inched their way around the wall by working in tandem. Unfortunately, the doorway was guarded by the dragon. He was dripping blood, but still roaring flames at the handful of vampires that were left around him. Many were singed and blackened corpses at his feet, but those left still attacked with vigor.

Samara and Hermione threw Somnus at the dragon and then while the dragon was shaking his head woozily, Samara called to Ginny, "We will protect you. Get ready to run along the wall."

Ginny hesitated. It seemed a far distance to get to Samara and Hermione. "Tom," she asked, "do you have a better plan?"

_"No," he answered. "Not unless you want to attempt to Imperio one of the Vampires to help you," he suggested._

"What?" asked Ginny.

_"I did this the hard way, remember?" he said. "No magic. For the basilisk potion?"_

"Three consecutive nights of collecting blood of a dragon—" whispered Ginny. "Without use of magic. I remember."

_"Not as vividly as I do," said Tom._

"My memory and yours are the same," protested Ginny as she suddenly knew where the vampires needed to bite the dragon to immobilize it. She didn't need to Imperio a vampire. She just needed to tell them where to bite it. The vampires were quite capable of choosing to do the deed themselves.

_"No!" shouted Tom in her thoughts. "If you immobilize the dragon, you will have to contend with all of the vampires. Let them play each other out—"_

**"Diem Meridius!"** Ginny cried as she and Lauren ran for the door, as the vampires shielded themselves from the light.

Hermione and Samara cast another shared Somnus spell. The Dragon stumbled woozily and crouched against the dungeon wall.

The vampires weren't expecting the two girls to rush forward, but when they did, many of the vampires turned from the dragon to see the witches hurtling towards the door. As the light dimmed, they moved to intercept Lauren and Ginny, and Samara and Hermione's shared Incendiocremated the nearest of them.

Hermione threw her arms around Ginny. "I didn't think I'd see you again," she said with a heartfelt hug.

"Let's put that dragon to sleep," said Samara.

"It takes six or more wizards to Somnus a dragon," said Hermione.

"Not with my enhancement," said Samara. "I couldn't do it with just Hermione, or with just Ginny, but I'm quite sure all four of us will be enough." She stuck her wand in her hair and reached out both hands, one to Ginny and one to Hermione. "Lauren, have you shared a spell before?"

"Oh yes," she said, as she grasped Hermione's hand and then reached out to Ginny.

"Keep the vampires off of us for a moment, Ginny," demanded Samara.

"Wings," suggested Tom. "The wings are extremely vascular and the vampires won't be able to resist the blood."

Ginny threw two quick Sectum spells cutting deeply into the webbing that stretched across the wings of the great beast and then grasped Lauren's hand. "Now, Samara," she said. **"SOMNUS!"**

The word echoed from their circle and the dragon crumpled falling in the doorway. The vampires gave a cry of glee as they abandoned the witches for the easier prey of the downed dragon, who was bleeding profusely from the Sectum cuts on the left wing. The vampires hissed and fought each other over the dragon.

_"Heal the cuts," suggested Tom. "It will still their bloodlust."_

"But—" began Ginny. "Why? They are distracted."

_"Because in seconds the vampires are going to be bored with the dragon and they are going to come after you anyway," spat Tom. "They are not thinking creatures right now. They have been deprived of their potion, and nothing is so appetizing to them as wizard or witch blood. Even dragon blood cannot compare, but they are too hungry to be choosy."_

"But the dragon—" began Ginny.

"_Has an abundance of fire that may be useful. Now MOVE!"_

Ginny healed the cuts with _Medico._ The floor was slippery with blood and it was with difficulty that the witches continued down the corridor heading for the door holding each other like macabre ice skaters, but it was only seconds before several of the vampires turned their attention to the little group of witches.

**"Diem Meridius!"** cast Ginny

The vampires hesitated, but didn't back off. Instead, the spell drew more vampires' attention and the four girls were forced against the wall half way to the door. There was no cover, and they were surrounded by vampires.

_"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid," chided Tom._

"You aren't helping," said Ginny waspishly.

_"Tell them that Salazar knows what has happened here. Tell them with my Legilimency," said Tom. "Choose one vampire and tell them."_

"No," said Ginny. "I can't use the Legilimency. I can't break into someone's mind. That's horrible—a violation—"

"_Then let me do it," snapped Tom. "It's not a problem for me."_

"No!" Ginny protested.

_Sparkles of pain shot through her, but Tom was once again, unsuccessful in taking her over. After a brief silence, Tom spoke again in Ginny's mind. "Then have Samara help you ward the corridor," suggested Tom, as the vampires closed in on her. "Use the twelve point ward and fill it with Elemental Fire. The problem is the ward has to stay after we leave. It will need a bit of yourself—" He broke off and Ginny could feel his concern._

But it wouldn't stay without her active intervention, Ginny knew what concerned Tom. This spell would have a price, and she was already tired. "Samara! Your shield spell," said Ginny as she grasped Samara's hand and repeated exactly what Tom told her to do. She felt Samara's shielding magic add the building blocks to the spell just as she had done when she had warded them between Voldemort and Dumbledore. As the magic settled into a wall, Ginny pushed the Elemental Fire through herself, determined to add to the wall by the Fire and not conflict with it as she said the incantation, which Tom repeated slowly and carefully, "**arcti terreum armara, eurues armara, meridies aquosum armara, vespertinus flammae armara, ignigenae pervigilo armaro"** She felt the power sucked out of her with an inexorable swiftness. The vampires hissed in fear as a wall of fire went up between them and the witches. As long as she physically held it, the ward was fine, but it needed a bit of herself to remain standing while they ran.

"Dark magic," thought Ginny, just before she decided to sacrifice her consciousness.

Her friends would take care of her.

_"No. No. No," protested Tom. "You can't put your body in the hands of others."_

She turned, meeting Samara's eyes. "Run!" Ginny whispered as she shoved enough of herself into the spell to hold it for a brief moment, and then she crumpled into unconsciousness. The shield spell remained shimmering with Elemental Fire when Samara let go of it.

"Hermione! Lauren! Help me," called Samara as she realized from Ginny's aura that she had fortified the shield spell and lapsed into unconsciousness. "We have to get out of here. I don't know how long the shield spell will last."

Lauren and Hermione moved to help. The vampires screamed in anguish as they launched themselves at the wall of Fire. The floor shook as the Dragon attempted to drag itself to its feet. It roared its displeasure as it shook itself awake.

"We need a place to hide until the wards go back down," said Samara as she clamored for the doorway. She and the others were dragging Ginny indecorously with them. Once they were clear of the dungeon, Lauren turned and using Ginny's wand, re-warded the outside door. Then she grinned. "How's your Patronus, Samara? I have an idea."

"Not with Ginny unconscious," said Samara. "She should be awake shortly."

"Let's go find the boys," replied Hermione who knew as well as the other girls that it would be unwise to Ennervate Ginny when she had already overloaded herself with magic. The extra magic would bring her to consciousness, but she would be sorely confused and befuddled—not someone who would be a help in the current situation.

"We should hide," said Lauren.

"No," argued Hermione. "We have to find the boys." She paused. "What would you do if it were Alvin?" Hermione asked, and Lauren nodded. "We'll have to start where the Veelas Apparated from," she said.

Samara took the lead, levitating Ginny's unconscious body between them. "I imagine they ended up somewhere on the Beauxbatons' wing."

_"No, no, no," said Tom protested. "We can't go there, Ginny. Please wake up. You just said, you can't surround me with Veelas and expect me to stay sane, and for once, you were right."_

"Ginny?" said Samara noticing the change in aura color, but Ginny remained unconscious.

_"OK, I could try that deafness spell," thought Tom, "but I'm not going to know if it works until it's too late. Ginny! Please wake up!"_

**Your reviews are like kisses** for the poor unconscious Ginny. You do want her to wake up, right? 15 reviews and we will go see what the boys are up to….

**Authors Note:**

A variation on the warding spell that Ginny used in The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning

arcti terreum armara northern stars of the earth provide protection

eurues armara eastern wind of the morning provide protection

meridies aquosum armara south mid-day of water provide protection

vespertinus flammae armara west evening of blazing fire provide protection

ignigenae pervigilo armaro born of fire through the dark night provide protection

**_Answers to reviewers:_**

Potter-gurl17: So glad you are back to reading my stuff. Nothing like a good read for the weekend! I know that's how I spend mine. I really need a life….

DarkLordLongbottom: Erm--about Ron being a virgin. We do not know that he was a virgin when he started dating Hermione. After all he had some pretty crass advice for Harry about Cho. But essentially, yeah. And you expected that Hermione read first. I expect she had the how to book on the pillow. Poor Ron.

Jager: glad you are enjoying

Elbereth: Missed your reviews. Glad you are back

Raptors galore: Glad you liked my veelas. I was afraid people were going to say they were out of character with JK's, but well, I didn't think JK did much with Fleur. She seemed to just be a witch, and not even a very good one. Couldn't get away from the grindelows which were water creatures. I couldn't figure that one out. So I made them my own way.

Kemenran: The whole point is making the reader say: How on earth are they going to get out of that!

Fire sprite 16: You think Volde is going to find out. Oh don't you trust Snape?

Field of Gold: Now are you dancing in the Chamber of Forever?

Cronenus: Posting asap

Lauz: Angst? When do I write angst? MY angst turns into comedy. Ie Harry in the closet with the bunny. LOL Yes, I like jealous Tom too. Love Ginny/Tom forever. Thank you for saying I write Tom well. I do try. And yes, I don't know what else to call what happened to Ginny but rape. A lot of people were confused in book one. They couldn't figure out how Tom could rape her when he didn't have a body, but I think the understanding of "my magic" has helped people to see the intimacy--forced or not.

Alaxander: Strange spelling of your name. Is it really spelled that way or couldn't you get it spelled with an e? I haven't seen you before. About time you reviewed. I expect you to continue to review.

Mook: Very inciteful

Wormtail: More Draco coming

Silverfox1: Basilisk phone. LOL. Yes, I'm sure Samara could handle it, but I don't want to be accused of making a Mary Sue….And it's so fun humiliating Tom. Talk about horses. I'm going to put up pics of our baby horses on group. As soon as I can figure out how to do it.

DraginLover: Nope. No hints. Glad you loved the veelas. More veelas to come. I will keep Neville's ducky underwear in mind.

Ennui deMorte: Hey! Back from the dead. So glad to hear from you. I think Tom would tease Hermione worse than Draco. He would think of things that would push her buttons instead of just calling her a mudblood. I'm impressed with the reviewers too. They are keeping me on my toes.

Little Red Rabbit: Oh Ginny loves that teenage boy in her head. And just think of all the insights she gets that the rest of us have to do without.

Chernobyl: Yes, feel sorry for Tom. And yes the other boys were with the other veelas. Girls to the rescue soon.

**Please Review **


	31. CH 31 Boys' Night Out

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 31**

**Boys' Night Out**

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews: **I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point**: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself. However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

And now, on to the story…

**Chapter 31**

**Boys' Night Out**

Harry pushed Ron back and both of them shrank against the wall as they heard a whispered argument in the next corridor.

The voice was Draco's. "And the next time I need a scapegoat, you're it," he threatened. "Do you know how easily He can pick this incident from my mind?" The crack of a spell sounded. "**Imperio!** Don't you dare sing," he snapped.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you. I left you and your girlfriend alone," the silky Veela voice purred.

"Only because you had to," argued Draco. "He will kill you slowly for touching a member of the Inner Circle and you know it. Now, where are the others?"

"How should I know?" the Veela whined. "Darchelle took them, the greedy bitch."

"I suggest you go and get them," snapped Draco. "Hurry up. No sex. No blood. No prey."

"No fun," she said. There was a silence and then the sound of kissing. "What do you care, anyway?"

"I don't--" Draco's voice was smothered in another kiss.

You aren't being fair," she whispered and a mewing sound caused Ron to step forward. "You know you could choose me. In fact, I would even be tempted to get the others if I could have you instead. I won't even use my Veela powers," she purred. "No one will know."

Harry swayed on his feet. Not using her Veela powers, my ass, he thought. "(Shesha!)" The word was a plea that the basilisk immediately heeded although he said nothing but her name.

Harry wasn't quite sure what had happened, but a moment later he blinked. He saw Draco standing in the opposite corridor, the Veela at his feet writhing with the effects of basilisk poisoning.

"Gryffindung," spat Draco. "I've just been rescued by the great Harry Potter. I don't think I can stand it." He looked at the now still Veela. "You didn't kill her did you?"

"Of course not," snapped Harry Potter as he hissed his thanks to Shesha and she came back to him.

"Of course not," repeated Draco dryly. **"**Why am I not surprised**?"**

"We've decided we aren't going to tell anyone about the Veelas," said Ron.

"Don't let me stop you," said Draco sharply and Ron pointed his wand at the Veela.

**"Obliviate!"** he said.

Draco looked at her for a moment and then raised his own wand. **"Alohomora!"** A nearby cupboard door opened and Draco levitated her to it and snapped the door closed. He hesitated a moment, turned to Harry and then asked politely, "Would you lock and ward the cupboard door, Potter? I don't want to reveal my magical signature anymore than I have to," he said.

"Afraid she'll wake up and tell Samara that you were kissing her?" teased Ron.

"No," said Draco. "I'm afraid she'll wake up and tell the Dark Lord that you were here, Weasley, assuming we all get out of here alive."

Harry warded the cupboard and then turned to Draco. "Do you have any idea where Neville is?" he asked.

"Let me get this straight, Potter. You want me to help you save Longbottom?" said Draco. "I'd sooner save the Dark Lord himself."

"Why do you hate Neville?" asked Ron, pulling Draco around to face him.

"Get off, Weasel!"

"No, I mean it. What was between the two of you? You've hated him since first year—since the first moment you saw him. Why?"

"I saved your arse, Weasel. Now, get off!" Draco gave Ron a hard shove against the opposite wall, but did not pull his wand.

Ron came back quickly from the minor assault, grasping Draco by the collar of his robe, and snarling in his face. "No, Harry's snake saved our arses. You did nothing but be a prat, like usual."

"Your brothers are Veela meat as we speak. Does that mean nothing to you?" Draco said in a low calm tone, and Ron released him.

"Let's go," Draco said sullenly as he brushed the wrinkles from his robe. He led the way, pausing at a corridor branch and reached around to the injury on his back. He held it for a moment and then took a deep breath, composing himself. "Let's get under the cloak," he suggested.

Harry just looked at him.

"Cloak?" said Draco again. "Invisibility cloak?"

"I thought you had it," said Harry.

Draco rolled his eyes. "However did you ever manage to get through first year, never mind rescuing anyone? You are an idiot, Potter" hissed Draco.

"It's your fault the Invisibility cloak is in pieces!" snapped Harry.

"I didn't cut the piece out of it," hissed Draco.

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't stolen it!"

Ron suddenly disappeared.

"Weasel?" said Draco startled, fear evident on his face. He raised his hands with magic crackling in them as he searched for an attacker.

"The name is Ron," said Ron as he emerged from behind the niche in the wall. He grinned cheekily at Draco. "Miss me?" he asked.

"No, Weasel," said Draco petulantly.

"Oh, the look on your face, Malfoy! It was priceless!" said Ron, laughing.

"You have no concept of what is priceless," growled Malfoy. "Prat!" he muttered almost good-naturedly.

"It will work, since we don't have the invisibility cloak," said Ron. "Do you want me to show you how to do this little hole in the wall spell, Malfoy?"

"You think I don't know how to do that stupid spell?" snapped Draco. "I'm just surprised you can do it."

"Quit showing off Ron," admonished Harry. "That spell should help if we need to hide though."

Draco nodded reluctantly. "I suppose Hermione taught you that spell," he said, and before Ron could answer, he continued. "We have to Apparate back to where the girls were and follow the Veelas' Apparition trail to your brothers, Weasel, unless of course the wards go back down, then Samara and I are getting the hell out of here. You can find the others yourself, Potter."

"Such dedication," sneered Ron.

"I did my part," said Draco.

"Okay," said Harry. "First we find the twins, then we go after Neville."

Draco said nothing.

"Can we walk?" asked Harry touching his scar significantly. "I can't Apparate. He will know where I am and Ron isn't very good—"

"I can do it," snapped Ron.

"He's going to have to," said Draco. "I can't Apparate both of you."

"Can we walk?" Harry repeated, remembering that Draco wasn't supposed to Apparate anyway.

"No," said Draco. "It's too far."

"You won't be very helpful if you're splinched," said Harry, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"Actually, I think the Apparition helped. My back feels almost normal." He smirked at Harry. "Maybe I know more about anatomy than Madam Pomfrey thought."

"Sure," said Ron. "You can be a medi-wizard when you grow up."

"Ron, do you remember the corridor we need to Apparate to?" asked Harry.

"Yes!" seethed Ron and he disapperated.

"Well, Potter," drawled Draco holding out his hand. Harry grasped Draco's hand and they Disapparated, following Ron back to the kitchen.

On the floor was the Veela Samara had stunned, but no sign of the girls or the invisibility cloak.

Draco immediately went to the veela, checking the magical signatures around her. He frowned worriedly as he searched."

"Well?" snapped Ron. "What happened to her?"

"Stupefy," said Draco, distractedly as he continued to sense the air around the veela. "But this isn't good. If one of the Death Eaters Ennervate this veela—wait. It's OK. Well—Samara's magic—she Obliviated her—that might cause questions—and there's Ginny's—that's it. What was the Mudblood doing, I wonder," said Draco. "Picking her nose?"

Ron whipped out his wand, and Draco turned, reaching automatically for his wand.

Harry snapped, **"Expelliarmus!"** and Ron's wand sailed to his waiting hand.

"Merlin," muttered Draco, as lowered the wand that he found himself holding. "Twice saved by The-Boy-Who-Lived. I'll have you know Potter I'll deny it to my dying day."

"Just put your wand away, Malfoy," snapped Harry.

Draco complied. "I could call the guards," said Draco.

"But you won't," said Harry. "You're as deep into this as we are Malfoy. Let's get moving."

"Just because you are The-Boy-Who-Lived doesn't mean you can give me orders," snapped Draco.

Ron shoved Draco against the wall and held his fist under Draco's nose. "Apologize," he said.

"Ron, don't be an idiot," said Harry, shoving Ron away from Draco and tossing him back his wand. "Do you want to find your brothers or not? We need Malfoy."

"I don't need some bloody Slytherin," muttered Ron.

Harry noticed that Draco had put away his wand, but he was standing ready with his fingers slightly spread, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Don't you want to find Hermione," Harry continued, "You know what she would say, Ron. She would tell you to stop trying to curse Malfoy every chance you get. He's the only one who knows the castle. Anyway," said Harry, "you know Malfoy was hurt. Threatening him wasn't very sporting." Harry simply started to walk away, and Ron followed him.

"And when has he been sporting?" countered Ron.

"He's in Slytherin. We're Gryffindors," commented Harry.

"Here," said Draco stopping them. "The twins Apparated from here. I know Darchelle's signature."

"She couldn't Apparate both of them," said Harry coming back to where Draco stood.

"She did Apparate with both off them. She's good," said Draco in admiration. "That's why she's in His inner circle. Anyway, they're twins and their magic isn't as different as two other people would be. Veelas are peculiar that way, especially with Apparating men or wizards.

"Weasel, we need to get close to where they are. I think I know where that is—Beaubaxtons' Wing, but I don't want to just Apparate. We could end up Apparating into a whole group of Veelas and that would be useless. I want to Apparate about 3 meters away in the opposite corridor. You can open your little niche and we can hear what they are planning.

"I didn't think of that," said Harry.

"Do you think you can manage that, Weasel?" asked Draco.

Ron nodded tersely.

"Then I'm going to Apparate with Ron first," said Draco.

"No," protested Harry, thinking that sending Ron and Draco on alone might be a bad idea. "We stay together."

"The Weasel doesn't know where he's going or have the precision to Apparate," said Draco patiently. He smirked. "Oh, don't worry, Potter. I wouldn't leave you out of the rescue. I promise to come back and get you so you can—finish the job."

"Ron? Malfoy? Draco," said Harry reluctantly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Stay put," said Draco as he reluctantly clasped Ron's hand. "I'm going to need a very long shower," he muttered as he closed his hand over Ron's and Disapparated.

A moment later Draco reappeared grasping Harry. "Come on," he said.

"What?" said Harry. "How's your back?"

"Better," said Draco. "I think I automatically put it in alignment when I first Apparated, but I'm still missing pieces." Draco shrugged. "I've been worse," he said enigmatically.

"How's Ron?" Harry asked, and Draco smirked. "What makes you think he would be anything but his normal asshole self," said Draco, putting a finger to his lips. "Be quiet."

The Veela on the kitchen floor groaned, but didn't awaken yet. Both Harry and Draco threw her a quick glance. "Good," said Draco. "She's waking up. Let's get out of here." He and Harry Disapparated to join Ron in the cramped little corner of the wall, somewhere near the Beaubaxton's wing.

Beyond the niche Harry saw Darchelle with Valeriana and Narcissa. Both had their Death Eater robes on and were covered with blood and soot and dirt. The scent of fire magic hung on their robes and both were filthy. Narcissa's hair had come loose from its fastenings and was clinging to her neck in long damp strings. Both witches were wet with sweat or Elemental water. Harry wasn't sure which.

"It's your mum," whispered Ron, just as Harry and Draco apparated beside him. Draco rolled his eyes and put a finger to his lips signifying silence. Harry turned to watch Narcissa and Valeriana with the veela.

Valeriana began muttering incoherently as she sucked on a chocolate bar, but Narcissa ignored her. Her eyes flashed angrily as she spoke to the Veela. "I want you to stop all this playing around, Darchelle!" she spat. "Quit running around the Snow Castle to find any available wizard. They are not your playthings. You should realize that. You are one of his Inner Circle now, Darchelle. Do you think you can play with his twins with impunity?"

"I'm not worried about it," said Darchelle sullenly.

Harry concentrated on hearing what Valeriana was muttering. "Twins, twins, twins," she said in a sing-song voice. "Twin basilisks on the wall. Basilisks, basilisks. Where are the basilisks, Sister?" She tugged on Narcissa's robe with a sticky, chocolaty hand. Harry was close enough to see that her bitten fingernails were encrusted with mud.

"Shut up," snapped Narcissa, showering Valeriana with a deluge of Elemental water. Narcissa closed her hands over her magic and closed her eyes momentarily. Then she drew her wand as Valeriana continued to mutter.

"Water—water moccasin." She shivered, looking around her in terror and just as quickly the fear dissipated. "No, no, that's not right. Oh I know!" She brightened excitedly as she began to count off snakes on her fingers: "King cobra, saw scaled viper, black mamba, rattlesnake, water moccasin, copperhead, Okinawa habu, jararaca, wutu, jumping viper—" Having come to the end of her fingers, she seemed to forget what to do and began to hop about like a child. "We made them jump. Jump! Jump! Jump!"

**"Mutus!"** snapped Narcissa, pointing her wand at her sister.

Valeriana immediately began to whimper, and shrink into herself, looking around with terrified eyes, and clutching her robes. The half melted chocolate bar fell to the ground.

"Can you think of nothing but our own petty pleasures?" Narcissa berated Darchelle. Harry noted there was now a small puddle of Elemental water pooled at Narcissa's feet. "Do you understand me?" boomed Narcissa.

"Yes, Mistress Narcissa," said Darchelle sullenly as Narcissa removed her sisters muting spell and smoothed back her hair as if she were a small child. "Get out of my sight," she snapped to Darchelle as she and herded a rather disheveled Fred and George away from the Veela.

With a huff, Darchelle Disapparated.

"Get a hold of yourself," Narcissa said, gently to Valeriana. "The dementors are gone. You are safe. I know you are strong enough to do this. Anyway, He killed the last of the healers when they couldn't help Samara, so it's up to you--" she seemed to think for a moment and then pulled Valeriana into a quick embrace. "Release!" she demanded. Over her sister's head she looked at Fred and George. "What are your names?" she asked.

"Fred—"

"George—" the boys answered

"We came for our sister," said George.

Narcissa frowned at Fred and George, and set Valeriana apart from her, "Wand," she snapped at her sister.

"I don't have a wand," sighed Valeriana. "It was broken and the dark things came." She sank whimpering to the ground and stuck her sticky fingers into her mouth, sucking off the chocolate.

"We mean, our sister invited us," said Fred, who was the first to recover his wits. He looked at Valeriana who had begun to hum tonelessly and rock back and forth on the floor. She was sucking mud and chocolate from her fingers. "Is she going to be ok?" he asked as Narcissa began to meticulously clean the mud and water from her robe with her wand.

Narcissa hesitated a moment and then put her own wand in her off hand and ruffled through her sister's robes. She found Valeriana's wand and stuck it in her hand.

"Levitate something," she snapped as she scowled in confusion at the twins.

Still humming tonelessly, Valeriana's hands shook and she let the wand roll away from her. It dropped to the floor with a clatter. She didn't seem to mind as she wandlessly levitated George, who soared towards the ceiling like a rocket.

"Hey!" he called, digging in his pocket. "Levitate these!" He tossed several candies to Valeriana.

"Sister!" shrieked Narcissa exasperated, and Valeriana ended the spell, letting George fall in a crumpled heap on the ground. Valeriana sat shaking on the floor and when Narcissa handed her back her wand she shook her head and broke into sobs. "No! The black things come. I need the magic. Please—" She latched onto her sister and magic crackled around them. "Sister? Please let me--" she pleaded, but Narcissa shook her off. "Narcissa?" Valeriana said again, clasping her hand, and this time Narcissa pocketed Valeriana's wand and continued to hold her hand.

While Fred checked his twin for bruises and broken bones, Narcissa frowned at them. "Weasley?" inquired Narcissa. "Virginia Weasley?" She nodded putting two and two together. "Virginia said she wouldn't recruit her family—"

"Favor?" said Valeriana. "trade her brothers for some favor," said Valeriana, struggling to make a coherent sentence.

Narcissa nodded "Have you met the Master, yet?" She asked.

"Well," said Fred.

"He was rather busy," said George as he pulled himself to his feet.

"I'll take them," said Valeriana, perking up at the prospect of going to Voldemort. "Let me take them," she begged.

"He's not here," Narcissa reminded Valeriana, as she started to braid her sister's disheveled hair with her wand. "Remember sister—"

"Oh yes," said Valeriana frowning. She tentatively let go of her sister's hand and began to peel the wrapper from one of the candies that George had thrown at her. Then she ducked away from Narcissa's spell, complaining that she was pulling her hair.

"We'll take you to your sister's room," said Narcissa. "You can wait for his pleasure there with Virginia."

"Master's pleasure," purred Valeriana, and then her face screwed up and she gave a terrified squeak. She started listing useful blood: "Goblin blood, and werewolf and giant and dragon—"

Ron turned to Harry and Draco. "Ginny's not in her room," he whispered frantically

"Well, I still have my vial of Polyjuice," said Draco, "and one of these hairs on my cloak is bound to be Samara's—" He pulled a long dark hair from his collar. "We'll have to beat them—which shouldn't be too hard—considering my mother's mind is moving pretty slowly right now--"

"If it's all the same to you, Ma'am," said Fred politely. "We were looking for the kitchen. Could you show us the way?"

Harry stopped Draco with a hand to his shoulder. The hair and polyjuice were both in Draco's hands, but it appeared that the twins took care of the problem themselves.

Valeriana stopped her chant of blood to look at them. "Hungry twins," she said. "My sons are the same. Hungry. Hungry. All the time hungry. Follow my signature." She popped the candy into her mouth and Disapparated.

The boys looked confused as Valeriana Apparated wandlessly, leaving a shower of sparks on the floor.

Narcissa doused the spot where her sister had been and looked to the boys nodding, "Follow us," she said again, and she Disapparated, but she used her wand.

Ron yelled, "Fred, George!" but it was too late. The twins had already followed Narcissa and Valeriana from the room.

"Your brothers are idiots," snapped Draco to Ron as he hurriedly put the polyjuice away.

"They will need some help," said Ron raising his wand.

**"Expelliarmus!"** shouted Draco, but Ron's wand stayed firmly in his own hand. Ron's eyes narrowed and he lowered his wand in Draco's direction, but Draco threw up his hands. "Listen to me, Weasel. Right now, my mother and my aunt are seriously high on Elemental magic, but it won't take them long to realize that the Weasley twins are not Death Eaters, and when they do, you brothers are basilisk food. They can't just have a late tea with my mum and aunt. Come on," said Draco, hurrying along the corridor. "I don't want to be here if they Apparate back, and like you said, your stupid brothers are going to need someone to baby-sit them."

"I did not say that," countered Ron.

"Malfoy," said Harry, but Draco ignored him.

"My mum and aunt won't stay with them in the kitchen," said Draco. "Let's just Apparate to the corridor like we did before. "I'll go first and check to see that no one is there." In a moment, Draco had returned for Harry. Ron Apparated on his own and made the niche in the wall.

As soon as they arrived, they heard Narcissa screech, **"Finite Incantatum!"** A dog barked and Narcissa continued in a low dangerous voice. "What have you done to my sister?"

The incessant whining and yipping of a collie puppy was interrupted by the sharp snap-snap of two spells. One of the twins howled in pain, the other choked and blubbered, "Nothing. Nothing. We did nothing. It won't last. Just wait."

"Spawn of a blood traitor," spat Narcissa. "You deserve to die anyway! Now change her back! **Sectum!"**

A terrified cry of pain issued from one of the twins.

"We can't," moaned the other.

"Can't or won't!" said Narcissa. "The next spell is Crucio," she threatened.

Harry raised his wand, but Draco stopped him. "The puppy puffs only last a minute," he hissed. "She can't do too much damage in a minute," whispered Draco. "She wants them coherent to remove the spell."

Harry frowned and started to open the door, but Draco stopped him with a furious whisper, "You can't walk in there Potter if you expect to live long enough to fulfill your prophecy."

Suddenly the growling was overshadowed by giggling and Valeriana's excited voice rang out from the kitchen. "Oh that was fun!" she cried. "It's almost like being an Animagus. You have to try one, sister."

"I don't—" began Narcissa, but then the growling and yipping began again.

Valeriana clapped her hands with glee, and there was a moment of silence while Harry wondered what they were doing. "Do the Mudbloods turn into mutts?" Valeriana inquired suddenly, but she didn't give the twins time to answer. "Narcissa!" Valeriana exclaimed, still talking in a loud sing song voice to her sister. "I never would have thought of you as a German Shepherd, Narcissa. Of course, I would have never guessed my own as a collie. Why do you suppose I was a collie? Loyalty?" She giggled. "How Hufflepuff!" Her footsteps quickened as she hopped about. "What do you suppose Lucius would be?" she asked. "And Nott?" She giggled again and then continued in a reverent whisper, "and the Master--" There was a loud pop of an Apparition and then silence. The rescue team gave a collective sigh of relief.

Draco burst into the kitchen and wasted no time in berating the Weasley twins. "You are fools!" he proclaimed.

"Clowns," George corrected.

"Well technically, clowns are fools and visa-versa," said Fred softly.

"You know what I mean!" growled Draco. "We've wasted enough time. Run, you idiots. They could be back."

No one argued with Draco. If he knew a way out, they were with him, thought Harry.

"Where are we going?" asked Ron.

"You and your brothers are going to wait in Samara's room, while Potter and I fetch Neville. Her room has nice strong wards, including Apparition wards, which should keep you safe for a while. At least you will be warned when someone is trying to get in."

"When did you set that up?" asked Ron with a knowing smile.

"About the same time you and Hermione were working on those Apparition wards on her room at Hogwarts," said Draco.

"Ronnikins?" said George.

"Oh, just don't," said Ron rolling his eyes.

"When did our little brother become a man?" said Fred.

"He hasn't," muttered Draco.

"I think congratulations are in order," said George as they proceeded toward Samara's room.

"Or sympathy for the Mudblood," said Draco.

"What did you say?" asked Harry, eyes widening in surprise, but Draco didn't answer.

"How many puppy puffs did you give them?" asked Ron.

"A lot," said Fred with a grin. "But that's not all—we slipped in a few Ton Tongue Taffies and Barfing Bonbons."

"You didn't forget the Dragon Breath mints?" said George.

"As a matter of fact, I did," said Fred. "I didn't have any on me, but she looked like she was already dripping fire. I've never seen anyone that high on wandless magic even in pictures."

"And we'd better hope she keeps dripping fire for a while," said Draco. "Once they get their wits back they aren't going to leave two Weasley twins running around the Snow Castle without investigating." He suddenly froze. "Someone's coming," he whispered.

"Someone is coming," Shesha repeated. "But it's a friend. Tsez!"

"It's the girls," said Harry translating what Shesha had said as they once again entered the kitchen.

"Good," replied Draco. "Then we can go look for Neville before the whole bloody Circle is back here looking for us."

Harry stopped. "Is that a possibility?" asked Harry as the girls stealthily made their way down the corridor. After a moment Harry realized why they were moving so slowly. Someone was hurt.

"Right now," drawled Draco, "I don't even know what the possibilities are." He dragged a hand through his usually perfectly styled hair. It was blowing slightly and damp with the use of the Elementals. "I don't see why you brought Longbottom anyway," complained Draco. "He's nothing but trouble. What possible use is he? He's almost a Squib. He shouldn't have come."

"But he did come," argued Harry. "If you don't want to look for him, I'll go myself," said Harry, but Draco rolled his eyes and snapped at the Weasleys.

"You go back to Samara's room and stay there. Tell the girls don't come after us. I hope you aren't too stupid to find it again."

Ron started to comment, but Draco interrupted him. "I don't have time to argue with you, Weasel," he said and draping an arm over Harry's shoulder, he and Harry Disapparated.

Harry stumbled slightly as they blinked through several quick apparitions. "What are you doing, Malfoy?" he snapped at Draco. "You're not even supposed to Apparate once much less multiple times."

"Losing any pursuers," said Draco. "In case my mum looks for signatures in the kitchen. And don't ask questions, or I may lose you Potter," he sneered. "It would be pretty easy to do here, you know that don't you?"

"I know," said Harry, "but that wasn't our deal."

"Longbottom wasn't our deal either," protested Draco.

"The girls could have helped," protested Harry, "and one of them was hurt, you prat. I wanted to know what happened." Harry felt the dull ache of guilt and sighed heavily. "Where are we?" he asked changing the subject.

"Didn't you see?" asked Draco.

Harry shook his head. "If I were controlling the Apparitions I would know, but the Apparitions were too fast."

Draco smirked. "Nice to know you are confused, Potter. We are just outside of Beauxbatons wing."

"Let's just get this done."

"Can't be too soon for me either, Potter. Listen carefully. The Veelas rarely block a simple _Stupefy_. They're fast and usually just try to move. They could sing though. If things get dangerous—if any of the Veelas sing or talk to you, there is a spell you can do. **_"O_****_bsurdesco!"_**

"What is that spell?" Harry asked.

"­­­Deafness."

"We can't do that. We need to communicate," said Harry.

"Believe me, if the Veelas sing, we need to be deaf. Otherwise, we will follow the voices of the Veelas and we will help no one." He paused, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "This wing is a girl's only zone. All of the Veelas are here. The boys know they will lose their wits if they come into this wing."

"Which is why we should have brought the girls," muttered Harry.

"I wouldn't bring Samara here, and if you understood Veelas, you wouldn't even consider bringing the other girls," said Draco in a tight voice. "Seeing Neville without clothes is bad enough; seeing him without skin is quite another." Draco paused, smirking at Harry's horrified look. "Do you know anything about Veelas, Potter, or are you just relying on dumb luck?"

"Veelas are like Sirens," said Harry. "I read the DADA assignment."

"Wonderful," said Draco dryly. He didn't seem impressed that Harry had done the reading. "Other than the one that had you, have you ever seen a Veela?" he asked Harry.

Harry felt sick as he thought about healing Ron's bloody belly. The skin had been shredded, but Ron must have been smiling the whole while the veela was flaying the skin from his body, kissing her bloody face as if he couldn't get enough of her. He closed his eyes for a moment thinking that he had done the same thing. He had ignored the plight of his friend. As long as he was in the veela's arms, nothing else mattered. If it wasn't for Shesha--He paused, trying to erase the thought from his memory--trying not to think of Neville. Obviously, they weren't all like that. There was Fleur, in the Tri-Wizard tournament. She wasn't like that, and she was a veela.

"Yes," said Harry facing Draco defensively. "Fleur."

Draco snorted. "Well, be on alert," said Draco gathering elemental magic in his hands as they walked. "We need to find Longbottom and get out, and we can't have much time. If the Veelas are back, and Aunt Valeriana is back, the Dark Lord will be back soon too." Draco looked at Harry. "She tries not to leave His side, but I think he gets tired of her insane ramblings. She's not usually as bad as what you just saw," he said as if it was an apology. "She goes mental every time she comes in contact with Dementors. You understand why--"

Harry said nothing. There was nothing he could say.

They moved silently into the next corridor. Draco had hit four Veelas with a magical backlash of the power he held before any saw him and they crumpled unconscious. The one that saw him turned and immediately Draco said, **_"O_****_bsurdesco!_****_" _**Then deaf, he continued by wandlessly cursing the last Veela in the room. Harry had _stupefied _four of them, and almost cursed another woman who it took him a moment to realize was not a Veela at all. She was a Muggle.

"That's a Muggle," said Harry amazed. He certainly didn't expect to see Muggles in Voldemort's stronghold. "Those are all Muggles." He stared at the girls in who were covered head to foot with yards of material. It was obvious they were terrified. Harry stared at them, but none of them were Veelas and none of them held Neville captive. A few of them were hurt, but most appeared to be in good health.

Draco removed his deafness charm. "What's the matter Potter, never seen a Muggle before?"

"I just didn't expect to see any here," said Harry.

"They like it here with the Veelas. It's because the Veelas are rather like women and these Muggles are unused to men." Draco shrugged.

"I meant I didn't expect to see them here at the Snow Castle," Harry explained.

"They were a gift from the Dark Lord," Draco said with a grimace.

"A gift?" said Harry appalled. "Voldemort captured them? Took them from their families?"

"No, actually, their families gave them away."

"Come here," said Harry trying to gather the girls together. They began talking nervously in their own language.

"What are you doing Potter?" asked Draco.

"Taking them with us," said Harry as he noticed a rip in one of the woman's sleeves and a long _Sectum_ cut along her arm. "I can't leave them here."

"Why?" asked Draco.

"Harry grasped the injured arm and frowned at Draco. "What do you Death Eaters use them for: sex or dueling practice?"

"I thought you wanted to find Longbottom," sneered Draco. "Of course, maybe he doesn't want to be found." Draco grinned cheekily.

"We have to find him too," said Harry looking around worriedly at the group of Muggle women.

"They won't come with you Potter," Draco predicted. "They think we are gods and they don't understand English."

Harry raised his voice. "Do any of you speak English?" he asked and one of the girls stepped forward.

"A little bit," she answered, and Draco recognized the Muggle. It was the one who had been given to him. Draco stood helpless as Harry Potter explained slowly and carefully to the English speaking girl that they needed to come with him."

"Master? Is this right?" she asked Draco, her dark eyes questioning, and Harry looked at him in utter disgust.

"You miserable liar. How did you ever convince Samara that you were anything but a snake," said Harry in a low tone. "You are despicable, Malfoy."

"I thought that was already a given, Potter," said Draco. "Now, are we going to get Longbottom or just save the Muggles and let him rot?" asked Draco.

"Neville," said Harry softly.

"I believe he's in the next room," said Draco. "You go first, Potter. Keep your wand drawn. I'll protect your back"

Harry frowned at Draco. "From what? The Muggles? You coward. You have no intention of protecting my back. You just want me to go first."

Draco smirked. "You know, Potter, you aren't as dumb as you look."

"Wait here," said Harry to the Muggle girl as he drew his wand with his right hand and transferred Shesha to his left. He proceeded silently into the next room.

**PLEASE REVIEW: You didn't have to pay for the fic. It's the least you can do…**

**Answers to Reviews:**

**Thumpingheart: **Hmmm. Another anonymous reviewer that has never reviewed. Welcome. I think. Will you review next time, or will your name mysteriously change?

**Wormtail:** A spell check might be in order. You worry me. How old are you, anyway? Note the PG 13 rating. But thanks for the review.

**Gavin: **I know, you haven't reviewed, but I get the feeling that you did. Strange and misspelled names that never reviewed and new names that reviewed last time, could it be Gavin under polyjuice? Can't you remember your penname? **Legilimens!** Yep, foul play afoot. I suppose I should be flattered that you stuff the "review box" to get the 15 reviews. Would it be too much to ask for you to write coherent anonymous reviews?

**Trillium:** Glad you liked the dragon/snaky thing. I think Ennui may make a picture of it for us. It will be on group. No the vampires didn't disobey. Remember Salazar has experimented with numerous of the undead and things that come back to life to attain his immortality. As Silverfox said in the group discussion (you should join us at Yahoo group), Salazr likes to play with things that are dark and dangerous. And no more missing chapters!

**Cronenus: **The dark mark is not part of the wizard's magic. It is a conduit to Voldemort's magic within the body of the Death Eater. She couldn't get rid of the dark mark that easily. It's going to stay with her for a while. She needed to sacrifice something that was "her own", and since she trusted her friends, it seemed to be the best choice. Of course, Tom didn't agree. Trusting anyone is rather foreign to his Slytherin nature.

**Potter-gurl 17: **Tom really does love Ginny? Ya think? Have you read any of my other fics?

**Kemenran**: Love the long review. Dumbledore would of course try to protect his beloved Gryffindors.

**Field of Gold:** short and sweet. I love long reviews. Makes puppy dog eyes…collie eyes…Have a puppy puff for a long review?

**Jager: **Glad you like. Would like to know what exactly what you like.

**DraginLover**: Exactly. Tom wouldn't really have to be careful about the wards. He doesn't expect Ginny and Samara to go voluntarily into the dungeon. Ginny has avoided him as much as possible for the almost a month they have been at the Snow Castle. She doesn't want him to suspect that Tom is in her head, but he thinks of her as rather shy and timid. When Samara has had contact with him, she is usually in Hufflepuff mode and rather delicate. He doesn't think of the girls as much of a threat in the idea that they would go to the dungeon unless he had them put there. He knows their magic is powerful, but he grew up in the forties. He knows there are strong women, like Narcissa, Valeriana and Carman, but to him, they are an exception. The old standby, "open" worked fine in the past, so he doesn't see the need to change it. It might be an oversight that costs him. We will see.

**Fire-sprite16: **You trust Snape? Muwhwawhawha! You want Volde to find out? Find out what? That they are in the Snow Castle? Mayhem and torture would follow. What a bloodthirsty bunch you are!

**Chernobyl:** Thanks for telling me that I'm your favorite. It made my day. Voldemort isn't back from the Ministry yet. Er, and he has important stuff to do. Remember when he send Carman ahead with the kids? That's the time period we are in, but he will be back soon, and then, well, just wait. See, Snape knew he would send the kids back, but not the adults. He knew they would be at the Ministry and that's why he had a specific time for Harry to come to the rescue. He knew that Volde would be busy and distracted. You will soon see why. No Tom cannot take Ginny over while she is unconscious. I'm sure he has tried when she was sleeping, etc. The question is, how much of a spell can he do? In the diary, I'm sure he used imperious to make her strangle the roosters and so forth, but now? Who knows?

**Elbereth:** Yes, it was fun to write Ginny/Tom in combat together too. And so, you got a little taste of what those poor boys were up to

**Riddled Slytherin**: Glad you like. For those of you looking for a good read, I recommend Riddled Slytherin's fics. They are very good. Dark and Slythy, what more do you want?

**Lauz**: No Tom cannot take control of Ginny's unconscious body. If he could, he would have done so long ago. After all she is unconscious when she sleeps. She was unconscious after Bea Bunny was crucioed. And getting them out of this mess, is the story, so I won't tell you. You have to read it. As far as explaining to Hermione, I doubt that she is going to do that. The less said, the better.

**Little Red Rabbit:** Glad to see you are still reviewing.

**Silverfox1: **Glad you enjoyed my horse pictures. We have another baby horse, but she has a cast on her leg to try to straighten it out. She is very crooked, unfortunately. For those of you who want to see the pictures, they are under photo on the group site at yahoo groups. TheSeersTruth. Yes, Tom hates being out of control, and he is very much out of control in unconscious Ginny.

**Please review**. 15 reviews gets the next chapter.


	32. CH 32: May Fortune Favor the Foolish

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 31**

**May Fortune Favor the Foolish**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point**: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way--or not-- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" And now, on to save Neville, as if he wants saving…. May Fortune Favor the Foolish.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

**Chapter 31**

**May Fortune Favor the Foolish**

Harry paused as he looked at the next room. It was someone's private living chamber, or maybe it was the living chamber for several people, like a common room. It was enormous, but comforting. Strewn with various discarded garments and quilt like blankets, it looked well lived in by a number of people, but only two veelas and one wizard were in the room at the time, Neville. The veelas were wholly consumed by their argument with one another. One of them, Harry recognized as Darchelle Desideria, the veela who had been dressed down by Narcissa. She was now passing on that sentiment to her underling, but the veela was not being cooperative. Neither they, nor Neville looked towards the door as Harry and Draco entered.

"I found him," the veela pouted as she ran her hand up and down Neville's bare chest, while Neville lay on one of the quilts in vacant eyed ecstasy, but he was not bleeding.

"Narcissa caught us, Melisande" insisted Darchelle.

"No," said the Veela, eyes twinkling as she kissed Neville. "She caught you. I had nothing to do with it."

"Why are you being so stubborn?" asked Darchelle as she pulled Melisande away from Neville.

Melisande hissed at her. "He has inherited the magic of powerful wizards. I want him to be the father of my child."

Harry choked, and Draco leaned close. "Time to lock that veela away in St. Mungo's," muttered Draco, gesturing to her with a hand that dripped Elemental water.

"You can't be serious," yelled Darchelle, still not noticing Harry and Draco. "Playing with them is one thing, but this--The Dark Lord will kill you and the child if you are pregnant."

"Oh, I'm not pregnant," said the veela. "Not yet."

Draco indicated that Harry should take out Darchelle. He raised his hand and at the same moment as Harry raised his wand. "**Stupefy!"** called Harry

Draco sent his spell too and both veelas crumpled, but before they could reach Neville, he had scrambled for his own wand and enervated the veela, Melisande, that had been touching him

**"O****bsurdesco!****_" _**said Draco, deafening himself and then switched to the Air Elemental, letting a warm, wet breeze blow between Neville and the veela as he readied the actual spell.

"Wait," said Neville. "I want Melisande to go back to Hogwarts with me."

"Of course you do," said Harry gently. "She's a veela."

"Merci," mumbled Melisande as she stood groggily holding her head.

Neville put a supporting arm around her. "Melisande Genivee, may I introduce, Harry Potter. Melisande is Fleur's cousin," explained Neville with complete presence of mind. "She never wanted to be here in the first place. We have to take her." He paused, waiting for Harry's reply, but when Harry said nothing, he continued. "Do I look like I'm under a veela's spell?"

"Well no," agreed Harry, noting that Neville wasn't bleeding anywhere that he could see. "But still—veelas are--" he hesitated realizing he was stereotyping veelas just like he had once stereotyped Slytherins. He was uncertain of what to do, but Neville made the decision for him.

"Come on," he said, pulling on his shirt and robe and pulling Melisande forward. "We need to get back to Hogwarts."

Draco removed the deafness spell from himself. "What happened?" he asked, running his slightly damp hands through his now blowing hair. "Why is she going with us?"

"Thanks for taking care of Darchelle for us," Neville continued. "She didn't want to let us go."

"Go? But she can't go," said Draco gesturing to Melisande. "She's a veela. She will just get summoned back. You don't want to put her through that, Longbottom."

"Zee veela magic iz not compatible with zee Dark Mark. 'e, cannot summon us. 'e can only call. Let's go, Neville," said Melisande.

Harry nodded mutely, wondering when he had lost control of the situation. He sighed. It wasn't really his decision, was it?

As they walked through the doorway, Draco brought a soft breeze of Elemental wind. He groaned and whispered conspiratorially to Harry. "I told you we shouldn't have brought Longbottom," but Harry was too busy to notice Draco's grumblings. He had to gather up seven Muggle women and figure out how they were all going to get home with only one portkey and the wards up.

"Hurry up," grumbled Draco. "We have to get to Samara's room before someone sees this parade, and the wind that blew it in," he muttered, pushing back his blowing hair yet again.

(POV)

Ginny awoke to the feeling of something slithering over the back of her neck. As she opened her eyes, the world came into focus. She had been lying face down on a bed that she recognized, but it was not her own. The scent of the pillow and the feel of magic was familiar: Samara's. The sheets were not pulled down and the quilted design of the coverlet had left crumpled markings on her arms where she had been lying. It took her a moment to realize that she also had some of Samara's contingent of basilisks, not Salacia, of course, but some of the others had sought comfort in the thick blankets. They were cuddled around her for warmth, Cush was stretched along the length of her calf dozing happily and Zissi curled at her elbow. Tse and Tisha were wrapped around her neck and shoulders with Visha. There was a hum of soft conversation in the room, and the atmosphere was thick with tension. She blinked and tried to focus, but the conversation in her head took precedence.

_"It's about time you woke up," hissed Tom. He was livid. _She could feel his anger like a burning need to throttle her. She wasn't sure why he was so angry, but she was sure he was over reacting. She decided to lie still for a moment and get her bearings. No one knew she was awake yet.

_"I know you're awake," snapped Tom, as he proceeded to rant and she ignored him._

Every limb ached, not with the pain of the after effects of a hex, but with exertion. It was the feeling one gets after having whacked a few too many bludgers, not the feeling of taking too many bludger hits. Considering the power of the ward she had made, she felt surprisingly rested, and her magic was intact. The idea to use her consciousness as a seal for the ward was a good one, and she was proud of herself for having chosen that particular part of herself to sacrifice to the ward.

_Suddenly the ache in her limbs was overshadowed by an abrupt attempt on Tom's part to take her over._ She shivered as sparkles of his magic ran through her sharply, and she hissed with pain. "You can't take me over," she thought angrily.

_"I know, but damn you, you will pay attention to me," he spat._

"What do you want?" she asked.

_"I want to know why you took such a monumental risk? And I want your promise to not do something so stupid again. Why would you be so asinine as to let your friends have control of our body? There were a number of different ways you could have handled the situation that would not have put our body at risk."_

"My body." Said Ginny automatically.

_"No, our body. You gave no thought whatsoever to the fact that they could have left us there to die--"_

"They wouldn't'--"

_"Not purposely perhaps, Gryffindors don't think that far ahead."_

"I'm a Gryffindor," snapped Ginny

_"As you keep reminding me by your acts of absolute idiocy," remarked Tom. "Even if you wouldn't take the sensible path and use the legilmency which I suggested, you could have sealed the ward with something besides your own consciousness--"_

"What?" interrupted Ginny.

_"Blood, for instance."_

"Blood! The place was crawling with vampires," Ginny fumed. "I would have been drained before I got the ward up."

_"That's only because you are so slow. I wouldn't have had a problem."_

"Oh yes, you are so perfect," snapped Ginny sarcastically. "You do everything right."

_"You would do well to remember that the next time you get a moronic Gryffindor urge to sacrifice yourself," said Tom, purposefully ignoring her sarcasm._

Ginny hesitated trying to figure out why Tom was so angry. It had worked hadn't it? It was over now, and no harm done. "Tom?" asked Ginny. "Were you really that worried about me?"

_"No," snapped Tom. "I was worried about me."_

"Ahh, I see," said Ginny smugly. "You were worried about me."

_"There is no you, or me, Ginny," said Tom decisively. "There is only us."_

The thought made Ginny pause. She wondered when that thought had become--tolerable--comfortable--_us_. She was no longer as terrified by the thought of sharing her body with him as she once was. It came as a surprise that right now, his anger was covering fear. She could feel it, although he didn't want her to know. Could it be that he was also afraid of sharing the body with her? After all, she held all the control and for a Slytherin, that must be torturous, and yet, he understood trust. He had trusted her, in the Chamber--"

_"That was not--It was--a calculated decision, and my choices were severely limited," Tom argued. "It was not the same."_

"Tom," she said, "I wouldn't have sacrificed my consciousness if I didn't trust Samara and Hermione. I didn't think it was that great of a risk." She paused feeling his anger soften with her gentleness. "My action was a calculated decision also," she said.

_Mentally, he snorted. "That would be a first. You making a calculated decision--"_

"Well, it's hard to live with someone in your head without some of their attributes rubbing off," She commented blithely.

_"Unfortunately, I know what you mean," he countered._ Ginny waited expectantly for the little endearment that he usually added in his thoughts, but it was missing. He wasn't quite ready to give that far yet. He wanted to punish her for the fear she had caused him. He wanted her to beg, or to feel the fear herself. He wanted to even the score. It was so very Slytherin of him, and yet she understood.

"I'm sorry," she conceded, and she felt the soft touch of his magic within her.

_"Forgiven, Ginny Love," he granted magnanimously._

(POV)

Ginny? Are you awake?" asked Samara.

"Yes," said Ginny sitting up and stretching. Her brothers gathered around her concerned and Hermione's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "That ward was awesome, Ginny," she said. "But did it exhaust you so much that you passed out?"

"No," said Ginny. "It was the cost of the magic."

"Dark magic," Lauren explained, and Hermione frowned, placing her hand on Ginny's shoulder, and causing the basilisks to hiss. She yanked her hand back. "Ginny, are you alright?"

"Yes," said Ginny. "I'm fine now," she said as she soothed the basilisks. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"Oh not long," said Samara. "Just about ten minutes."

"You weren't waiting for me, were you?" she asked worriedly looking around for the others. "What are we doing here?"

"No," George shook his head. "We're waiting for Harry and Draco."

"They went after Neville," explained Fred.

"Among the veelas?" Ginny asked concerned.

_"Better them than us, Ginny Love," said Tom._

(POV)

Amazingly, the boys made it to Samara's room without incident. They settled into the well-warded room to plan.

"See, Malfoy, I told you it would be fine," said Harry as he herded the seven Muggle girls into the room. Neville and Melisande followed a disgruntled Draco.

"Gryffindor luck," muttered Draco, but Samara erased the pout from his lips with her kiss as Harry arranged the Muggles around the portkey. "Now as soon as the wards go down, we are going to get you out of here," he told the girl who spoke English. As she translated, a tittering of anxious conversation burst out among the Muggle girls.

"No, no, no," said Draco. "I want to be out of here as soon as the wards go down. Samara and I go first. If you want to save the Muggles, you do it on your own Potter."

"Draco—" interrupted Samara. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered teasingly, "I have never seen your hair so a mess--You're windblown.

"You have," he began as she kissed him and he released his Elemental Magic through her.

Samara began to straighten the wispy strands of his hair with her fingers. Tacita slithered back under Samara's robes, but the other basilisks were not so shy that they would ignore the chance to bask in Samara and Draco's shared magic. Tse, Tisha, Zissi, and Cush moved from Ginny back to Samara to enjoy the magic.

"I think I did save the Muggles myself," snapped Harry as Draco demanded again, "Samara and I go first." He let go of Samara and snatched hold of the portkey. "You can tag along Weasley and bring back the portkey for the rest of the team," he said dryly. "Potter is going to be busy killing the Dark Lord."

"Ron can't bring the portkey back," said Harry. "I have to go. The activation word is in parseltongue."

"I'm sure Samara can manage," said Draco.

"It's not your decision," said Ron.

"I'm making it my decision," snapped Draco.

"Wait, Ginny, you should go," Harry said. "The activation word is (Sissshauss)"

"As soon as the wards go down," said Draco.

"Yes, as soon as the wards go down," repeated Harry.

(POV))

Ginny looked at Harry. All the emotions seemed to catch in her chest and she couldn't speak. "Oh Tom," she thought. "I want to go home."

"_You know, He will just summon you back," said Tom._

Ginny shook her head, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I can't go," she said to Harry and the others. "He will just summon me back. I love you all so much." She pulled her three brothers into a tearful group embrace, and amazingly, Ron remained still while Visha tasted his scent.

"Of course you are going," snapped Hermione. "Did you just think we came for a visit?"

"He lied to you, Ginny," protested Samara. "He promised you could go home and then he reneged on that promise, but he will let you go eventually, Ginny. He wants his emerald. If he knew you were going to Hogwarts to get his emerald, he wouldn't be so angry, but I don't think sending an owl--"

Ginny immediately felt a soft floating feeling as if everything was going to be fine. She didn't even have to make the decision. It was made for her. She had to get that emerald, at the earliest possible moment. It appeared the moment had come. "Yes," she said dreamily. "I'll send him an owl."

_Tom sighed as he realized what was happening to Ginny. "I guess he can't argue with his own imperio, can he? Well he probably can, Ginny Love."_

"Are you crazy?" snapped Draco grabbing Ginny and shaking her. "Sending an owl to the Dark Lord? Those Elementals must have scrambled your brain, Samara, and Weasel I already knew you were barmy. You can't send him an owl and expect him to leave us alone. He can summon me, and you, too. We are all in the same situation. All we can do is wait for Potter to fulfill his part of the prophecy."

"Get your slimy Slytherin hands off of my sister," said Ron, pushing his wand against Draco's neck.

Draco immediately let go of Ginny, but snapped at Ron as he shoved the wand away. "Merlin, Weasel, hasn't it gotten through your thick head yet? Your sister is hardly untouched by Slytherin hands. She's more His than I am!"

One of the Muggle women started to cry, which seemed to spread like wildfire to the others. Ginny felt like she was fighting tears herself realizing what her family would say if they knew about Tom, if they knew about her Dark Mark. They probably already did know about her Dark Mark. Percy would have told them something. She tried to withdraw from Tom, to withdraw from herself. What could she do? There was no way to fix this. There was no right decision. Tom was right. She was so foolish to come to Him in the first place. She had thought there was hope where there was none. She sniffed and looked at the ground.

Samara stepped between them, touching both Ginny and Draco, but she turned to Ginny,. "Draco, leave her alone," she said "Ginny, Look at me!"

Ginny blinked back tears ans she looked at Samara.

Samara shook her head. She apparently saw something in Ginny's aura, but she frowned, and turned back to Draco.

"What emerald?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Ginny! You're not going to do his bidding? You can't."

Ginny didn't answer. She couldn't lie to them all. "Tom?" she whispered forlornly, realizing that nothing had really changed since first year. They all thought they could tell her what to do. It didn't matter that she was only a year younger than them, the same age as Samara. They all thought of her as a little child who couldn't make a decision on her own. Maybe they were right. She couldn't. ."Tom?" she said again.

_"Why do you care what they think," said Tom. "Oh wait, they're Gryffinors. Not to worry, Ginny. They don't think."_

She knew he was trying to coax her into a smile, but she was too angry at Samara for telling about the emerald. That was supposed to be a secret.

Samara voice softened as she put her hand on Draco's shoulder. She continued, still watching Ginny with a frown. "And He won't summon me, or Ginny."

Ginny wanted to smack Samara, or curse her, for telling the whole group that she had to retrieve His emerald from Hogwarts. She didn't want to have to lie to them all, and now, she couldn't think of how she could explain what she had done.

_"You are getting way too upset over a little deception. It's nothing. Just tell them you are still on the side of light. They'll believe you."_

Ginny groaned and held her head. "We're all dead, aren't we?" she wondered aloud, her eyes met Harry's across the expanse of the room, but he looked away. All of the Gryffindors tried to convinceeach otherthat there was hope.

(POV)

Samara watched Ginny's aura transform itself from a rich blue to gold to a paler yellow and back to blue again, but this time lighter. It was practically flickering with the two colors weaving in and out of each other, one dominating briefly and then the other, but it still looked as if the blue aura that Samara associated with Ginny was for the most part, dominant, so Samara wasn't concerned even though Ginny seemed beyond consolation.

"There's still hope," Samara said. "We have to have hope." Samara wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Ginny or herself. She looked at Draco who was reguarding her with cool gray eyes. Only his rose colored aura revealed his feelings to her. He knows how close I've been to the Elementals," Samara continued. "He knows I am not afraid of death. He knows that I'll splinch before I am forced to obey him and he doesn't want me dead. I saw it in his aura."

Draco frowned at her, his aura still as rose as it was when he first entered the room. He touched her. "Are you so sure? You are gambling with your life, Samara. You know, I never asked those silly Hufflepuff questions--"

"She frowned, unsure of what Draco meant.

"You know," Draco explained. "The Hufflepuff questions, '_Would you kill for me? Would you die for me?_'" he reminded her of the words they spoke in the Chamber of Forever.

"I never said, '_would you kill for me'_," Samara contradicted.

"I know," Draco smirked, and Samara knew he was referring to what happened in the Ministry after Draco was hit.

"Oh," said Samara.

He let one of the tendrils of hair that had escaped her bun curl around his finger. "Don't gamble your life," he said softly. "Especially not to Him. He's not an auror, and He won't be too weak to kill you."

"I'm not gambling. He would have killed me already if he didn't want me alive. I'm quite sure that's the reason you are still alive too, Draco."

"Yes, old magic," said Draco. "Our binding." There was a crackling at the edges of his aura as he reached for her magically. He was close enough to physically touch her, but it didn't matter. She felt his magic anyway as it played along the edges of her aura.

She smiled at Draco. "After all, you should be dead. Interfering with his spell was a major blunder," She said softly.

Draco's aura paled as he looked at her, remembering his mother's chastisement when he had interfered with her spell: Samara remembered too.She had said, if Draco ever interfered with another of her spells—_he would think the day Aislinn died was a holiday and those **crucio**'s a tickling spell._

"It wasn't a blunder," said Draco, reaching out and touching Samara's face, "I told you, then I won't let Him have you. I meant it." Their magic was a moment of silence amidst the noise and confusion of the room. His aura had darkened from rose to almost maroon and his eyes were shining like depthless ice.

It reminded Samara so vividly of their time in the Chamber of Forever, when she in her anger at Dumbledore had woven the gray ice crystals of broken dreams together and she had bound herself to Draco. Draco had said, "I only loved one person once in this world and she was taken away from me. And I won't let anyone take you away from me. I won't let him have you. I won't." She saw his feelings in his aura then, and she saw it now. She wanted desperately to wrap her magic around him and block out the rest of the world. "I won't be His pawn," said Samara, closing her hands over the rampant magic and forcing herself to be still in front of the Gryffindors.

"You were never a pawn," said Draco. "a queen, perhaps. But never a pawn."

(POV)

Ginny was aware that something had passed between Samara and Draco but she didn't know what. The prickle of their magic across her skin felt vaguely erotic, and Visha shivered along her neck. "(Go. Enjoy their magic, if you wish,)" she told Visha, but Visha remained with her.

_Tom snorted. "Tell Draco, to quit dawdling with Samara this isn't the safest little love nest."_

Ginny blushed, but said nothing. She could feel the magic crackling between them, but the Gryffindors seemed oblivious to it, except for Fred and George who were glowering like a couple of trolls.

"_It's their experience with wandless magic," said Tom. "It helps them to see or feel the wandless magic of others. The Gryffs don't know what to look for." Suddenly Tom's thoughts changed directions. "You know, maybe you could send him an owl. Maybe he would trust you, but you have to realize that you will have to come back, unless Harry really does kill him."_

Ginny looked back at Harry who was sitting silently on one of the desk chairs. He hadn't moved or spoken since he entered the room. His eyes were closed as if he was meditating, and his right hand was under the hem of his left sleeve, stoking Shesha, Ginny realized. Shesha, like Visha, was ignoring the display of magic that emanated from Draco and Samara.

"This doesn't seem like an opportune time, for Harry to kill him. Tom," thought Ginny. "I mean, Harry is in Voldemort's castle and surrounded by Death Eaters. There has to be a better place for this prophetic duel, don't you think?"

_"I agree," said Tom, "But I would like to have the emerald. It might be helpful. I can show you how to use it, but I really would feel safer right now if we were somewhere we could defend if the Death Eaters came looking for you. This room only has one door and no escape route. It isn't defendable."_

"Ginny! Ginny!" Samara was shaking her, and breaking her conversation with Tom. "So what do you think?" Samara asked.

_"Think!" scoffed Tom. "Just tell them nothing. That's what you usually think."_

"Er--About what?" asked Ginny addressing the Gryffindors and ignoring Tom.

"Ginny!" admonished Hermione. "We're trying to make a decision here!"

Samara, Draco, Lauren and Hermione all started to talk at once and Melisande interrupted with a stream of rapid French before she remembered that she needed to speak English. Of the wizards and witches, there was no clear leader, and everyone had a different opinion. Ginny, who was quite adept at listening to multiple conversations at the same time, found herself frowning at the group of them.

Harry still hadn't moved. He was sitting silently, letting the conversations roll over him as he contemplated his wand. Every now and then he looked up hopelessly at the large group of people he was trying to rescue. Ginny wondered if he was having second thoughts.

_"Well, if he is, I'm sure they aren't as insightful as your second thoughts," said Tom. "I know, I know," he continued. "Shut up, Tom."_

"We should go to the forth floor," suggested Lauren. "We could wait for the wards to drop in relative safety."

"No," said Draco.

"Why not?" asked Neville.

"He has said that zee fourth floor iz dangerous," added Melisande.

"Dementers," said Draco, but Lauren continued undaunted. "It will be OK. Hermione, Neville and Harry should have the Invisibility Cloak," Lauren said. "It won't cover more than three and the Weasley's can be Ginny's recruits.. After all, anyone would expect to see us here, Draco, but not Harry Potter, nor Hermione. Neville Longbottom would be pretty hard to explain too. Like I said before--"

"An invisibility cloak won't protect against dementors," said Neville.

"And how would we protect the Muggles?" protested Hermione.

"No," said Fred. "We need to stay hidden. Draco's mum already knows about us."

"I don't think she'll believe we belong here," said George.

"Never play the same trick twice," intoned Neville. Melisande nodded vigorously.

"So the fourth floor then," said Ron.

"We can't all move." snapped Draco jumping up and pacing the room. "It's like the fucking world cup. We'll be seen."

"It pains me to say it," said Hermione, "But I agree with Draco."

"Smart girl," muttered Draco.

"Who's side are you on?" snapped Ron.

"Harry's side, Ron, but we can't protect all these Muggles if there are dementers," said Hermione.

Ginny found herself looking from one to the other, but she found fault with all of their ideas. Mainly, there was no way to be sure that they didn't already miss the opening of the wards. She certainly knew she couldn't have felt the wards go down when she was unconscious, but she wouldn't have felt them when she was warding against the dragon, either, and she didn't think the boys would feel the wards change when they were in the arms of a veela. What she experienced from Tom told her unequivocally that he would not have felt the wards when faced with the veelas. If that was the case, the wards might not be down again for days and they couldn't hide anywhere that long. She felt they should try to get to the floo in His private chamber, but she certainly didn't want to try to tackle that task either. She wasn't altogether sure that she would be able to go with impunity anyway. Nonetheless, she was now determined to get his emerald.

_"It's **imperio,** Ginny," Tom reminded her._

Ginny closed her eyes and imagined the stone in her hand. She tried not to think of Salazar summoning her, or _crucioing_ her. She opened her eyes, and looked at her friends.

"Tom, what are we going to do?" she wondered.

_"A little late to be asking for my advice now," said Tom._

"Hermione's right," Fred was agreeing with her. "The muggles are a problem."

"Of course she's right," said Draco snidely. "She knows everything."

Lauren?" said Neville. "What about the dementers?"

She shrugged. "There shouldn't be any—well maybe a stray one or two, but Alvin's at Hogwarts. He told me that the Dark Lord forbade the Death Eaters from going to that floor so at least the dementers should be the only threat, and you can all do patroni, right? I mean you're Gryffindors, you should abound in happy memories."

Chatter broke out all over the room again. Ginny wanted to cover her ears and scream at them all.

Hermione gave Lauren an exasperated look, but said nothing.

"Can someone just make a decision?" shouted Ron.

"Harry, you decide," said Hermione, turning to the previously silent Harry who had not spoken or moved from the desk chair since he came into the room. Ginny tensed, expecting an uproar from the Slytherins and Samara.

"Good idea," said George.

"Harry?" said Fred expectantly.

"Oh, great! Ask the boy-who-bloody-lived," spat Draco "What gives him license to make decisions for all of us?"

"What do you think, Draco?" asked Lauren. "That we should just sit here and wait to be caught. Snape said ten minutes. We've already been here over an hour--"

"I warded this room—" began Draco. "The apparition wards should be opening momentarily. The rest of the adults should be coming back from the Ministry. What if we are in the corridor when they do? We could miss our chance. They won't just waltz into this room. It's safe as we can get here. Samara, tell them. We put up apparition wards around it long ago, and there's a proximity alarm, but—"

"But we don't even know if the adults are back yet or not," interrupted Ginny softly. "They could be back already and then the wards might not be coming down."

"What?" said Ron alarmed.

"And if they look for us, my room and Samara's room are the first places they are going to check," said Ginny listlessly.

The room broke into nervous chatter again. Waiting for the wards to go down was nerve wracking, but even thinking that the wards weren't coming down, was intolerable. Ginny wanted to scream at them. There was no where that was safe. There was no guarantee the wards were going to go down. It had been long past Snape's allotted ten minutes. They could be stuck here. She covered her face in her hands. It hurt all over again, as it had when she first arrived with Samara. She hadn't been this scared since Beatrice was crucioed. Beatrice was a witch again, she remembered Harry telling them. Maybe all wasn't lost. She wanted to ask Harry how that had happened. How had Beatrice managed to get out of her bunny form, but it didn't seem like the right time to bring that up. Everyone was talking at once. It was chaos.

_"They are leaderless, Tom observed. "You see, Harry may be a hero, but he isn't a leader. They have no leader. Ginny, we should help them."_

"No," said Ginny. "There are too many leaders," she corrected.

"Are you sure Alvin has the Pandora's Box?" Draco asked Lauren uneasily.

"Of course," said Lauren. "Have you ever seen him leave it out of his sight?"

"Well, no," said Draco sarcastically. "OK, OK, I guess it would be safer than here," said Draco finally giving in to Lauren's pressure. "I mean, here the Death Eaters might find us. On the forth floor there is just a chance of getting our souls sucked out."

Samara smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "Personally," she said, "I'm more worried about Dumbledore's reaction to me."

"Don't worry," said Draco. "My parents can handle Dumbledore, and since you are bonded to me, they will protect you like a Malfoy."

"Even though she's a Mudblood," Ron said snidely.

Draco didn't even blink. He cursed Ron with boils.

"Oh Draco," said Samara as she undid the curse. "Stop being so childish."

"Childish, huh?" said Draco. "We'll see who's childish?" He ran his hand along her back and Samara and Draco seemed to flicker. "We could just apparate out of here—wait for the wards to drop somewhere else--somewhere more private."

Samara shook her head no, but didn't move away from Draco's touch. She laid her head on his shoulder.

Ginny blinked as Lauren glanced at her with a knowing smirk. "Am I seeing auras?" she asked Tom.

_"No, you are just seeing their magic. It's considerably magnified because of their bonding and their emotions are heightened because Salazar has been keeping them apart."_

"Why don't the Gryffindors see it?"

_"Because Gryffindors are blind as well as dumb," said Tom._

Ginny huffed and was silent.

"OK, Draco, Samara, lead the way," said Harry as he pulled the cloak over himself and the others.

"Let's move," said Lauren. "Ginny is right. If anything goes wrong, the first place the Death Eaters are going to look is here.'

Draco shrugged. "I guess you have a point, Lauren. My mother can get through my wards if she really wants to, but the outside Apparition wards should have dropped by now. I'm beginning to agree with Ginny. We might have missed it, and if we did, we're all dead." He pulled air from the corridor and raised his hands.

Samara laid her hand on his shoulder. "Draco," she said softly. "Please don't apparate. Let's walk. We have to consider the muggle girls too."

Draco rolled his eyes, but didn't complain as he released the magic through Samara.

"Anyway," said Lauren, "We don't want to leave an apparition trail for your Mum, Draco."

"Fine. Girls, gather in," he told the Muggle girls. The one that spoke English translated, and they others obeyed him instantly.

"I thought you didn't want the Muggles around you," said Ron.

Draco grinned. "They make good shields if someone decides to curse us," he quipped.

Ginny watched as Harry closed his eyes momentarily against Draco's callousness. When he opened them again, he seemed resolute. "So we need a safe place—" he began, looking at Draco, trying to give the Slytherin a chance to voice his opinion about where they should go.

"Forth floor," insisted Lauren.

Draco blew out his breath and nodded. "Forth floor. Be ready with your patroni." He opened the door and peered out into the corridor.

"I just think that it is entirely possible that we missed the wards dropping," Ginny said to Harry. Have you had any indication through your scar?"

Harry shook his head, no. "I didn't, but I was distracted by the veelas," he said shamefacedly. "Right now Voldemort seems entirely too pleased with himself for me to be very hopeful though about anything." Harry double checked the corridor and then turned to the others. "Let's go." They stepped out of the relative safety of the room to travel to the forth floor where, hopefully they would be safer. He reached out and grasped Ginny's hand. She felt Shesha stir, tickling her fingers with her tongue before she retreated up Harry's sleeve again. "If the wards are back up, I've led everyone to their death," whispered Harry. "I need to just finish it," he whispered. "If I kill him, it's over and if he kills me--well it's over then too, at least for me."

Ginny squeezed his hand. "Harry?" she said softly. She wanted to say something to help him, but there didn't seem to be anything to say.

"So many have died because of me--" he said.

_"Don't worry about it, Ginny. He is a Gryffindor. They love wallowing in self-pity." said Tom._

Ginny ignored Tom and spoke to Harry. "You did your best, Harry." She paused and looked at him, uncertain what she was looking for. "The wards only would have been down a short while." She said at last. "and we were busy with the dragon in the dungeon. You had the veelas to contend with."

"But it's my fault--"

_"No man or wizardcould sense anything else through the veela song," Tom conceded. "It wasn't his fault, and even if it was, it's over now. Tell him to shut up. Merlin, it's not bad enough I have to contend with one Gryffindor!"_

"It's not your fault, Harry. It's Voldemort's fault, and we have to look forward," said Ginny. "If He's back, we are waiting for nothing. I think, we should try to reach the floo."

"There's a floo?" said Harry.

"In His private chamber," said Ginny.

"In His room?" snapped Lauren. She stopped dead still and looked at her. "I'm not going there!"

"It might be the only way," Ginny snapped.

"Shut up, Ginny," said Ron.

Ginny was fuming.

_"Ha! How do you like it?" asked Tom._

They were down the corridor and half way up the stairs when they heard the pops of apparitions in the corridor below. After a quick look at each other, they sprinted quietly to the floor above, and Draco put a finger to his lips to signify silence. They were adjacent to Voldemort's meeting antechamber and had to be quiet.

In the silence, an alarm suddenly echoed through the Snow Castle, and the entire group burst into a whispered chatter. "What is that?" wondered Ginny frightened.

"I think my mother just realized the boys she was talking to earlier were the Weasley twins," whispered Draco.

"Run!" snapped Lauren. "Get to the stairs."

"What about the muggle girls?" asked Harry as he ran beside Draco.

"Just leave them along the corridor," said Draco. "They're furniture."

"Pardon me," said Hermione.

Draco shrugged. "No one cares where they go. They are just Muggles. They can't really do anything, can they?"

Themovement of Death Eaterson the floor belowpushed them faster, but Samara suddenly halted in front of them. Her basilisks were hissing a warning.

"(We are trapped,)" hissed Visha. "(We need a hole to slither down.)"

"What are they saying?" Hermione demanded. "What are the serpents saying!"

"That we are trapped," Ginny repeated. "They say, we need to slither down a hole somewhere. I wish I knew of a secret passage—"

_"I don't think there are that many, Tom added. "We can take them down with the help of your friends. We have enough basilisks--"_

"No." thought Ginny.

Everyone started talking at once, trying to make a fast decision and keep everyone safe. The huddled together at the far end of the corridor hoping that the Death Eaters were just going to their own chambers and where not coming on this floor, but that seemed too much to hope for. To Ginny if felt as if time stood still. She heard the Death Eaters in the adjacent stairwell and prayed that they continued on their way, but she pulled her wand anyway, although Tom preferred that she use wandless magic.

"We need to leave the muggles and apparate," suggested Draco. "We can't risk the stairwell, and this is too slow."

"The Gryffs don't know the Snow Castle well enough to do multiple apparitions and you know how easy it is to follow when they use their wands," snapped Samara.

The basilisks were hissing, their words covering one another, so it was hard to understand. _Tom was trying to tell her a spell._ All the words seemed to blur together to Ginny.

The only one who can apparate two people is you Draco," said Samara, "and you already are risking your spine. You could end up as a puddle at the other end. No."

"Don't tell me what to do woman," said Draco, but he didn't apparate.

"I shouldn't have to. You should be smart enough yourself to realize this won't work Who are you going to leave behind? Me? Ginny? Harry?"

"Harry," said Draco wrapping an arm around Samara. That should keep the Death Eaters busy for a while.

"No!" snapped Samara. "He will be tortured to death. The basilisks can protect us."

Ginny looked at Samara, realizing that Samara had the exact same idea as Tom.

"They're the Dark Lord's basilisks. They won't attack him," said Draco

"No, but they will attack his Death Eaters at my command," said Samara. "If they come on this floor, we attack."

"Samara, you would kill them?" Asked Harry appalled.

Draco smirked and Ginny exchanged glances with Samara in the shadowy silence. Harry didn't know; she had already killed.

"(Kill Bite Die Hissuss,)" called the serpents, understanding the excitement in the air.

"What are the snakes saying?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing," said the three parselmouths together.

The basilisks on Samara were hissing frantically. "(Kill! Die! Hissuss!)"

"(If you did not want me to kill,)" said Shesha, "(How shall I save you, Master?)" The basilisk had slithered down to Harry's fingertips, ready to launch itself at an enemy. It's eyes were glowing under the lids.

"(You shall not kill on my account,)" said Harry firmly. "(You shall never kill on my account.)"

Visha was hissing. "(Mistress, if we do not attack, we must find a hole. We must either fight, hide or die.)"

"(Your tsez can find a hole, Master,)" said Shesha.

"(Where?) Ginny hissed back. "(Is there a secret passage?)"

_"It's a spell," Tom added. "I've been trying to tell you, but you were ignoring me. There's a spell to open a solid wall." Tom began to explain._

"We need a hole to hide in,"Ginny said aloud. "I'm going to try to make it."

"Oh, Like this?" said Ron, opening a niche in the wall.

_"Took him long enough," muttered Tom. "Stupidity must run in the family."_

"Shut up, Tom, said Ginny as she made her own version of the niche in the wall spell.

**15 Reviews gets a new chapter. Please review.**

**Notes to Reviewers**

Mistrunner: Veelas and vampires. Glad you liked.

Croneus: Oh what an idea! Nagini eating a puppy puffed Voldemort! Excellent.

Alaxander: Glad you liked.

Field Of Gold: Yes. I love your long reviews, and I know what you mean about checking to see if there is an update. I do that too for a couple of my favorite stories. So glad you are enjoying.

Chernobyl: So I got you into the Tom/Ginny pairing! Great. I love Tom/Ginny. It's my favorite pairing. I can hardly write a story without it. Well, maybe if it was my own characters--and I sometimes do Ginny/Draco. I currently have a funny Ginny/Draco I am playing around with, but the drama of the diary is just too cool to leave alone. It always amazes me that JK has done nothing with that. Maybe in future books--I hope.

Trillium: Love your reviews and I'm happy to have you back with us. I love when you tell me your favorite lines.

Elemental Sorceress: Well, there's a cookie if I ever heard of one. Think what everyone would be with puppy puffs, and what about Valeriana's comment, would the mudbloods be mutts? Should I be scared? You are working on seeing auras? Oh dear, I didn't mean to start a cult or anything. LOL

Riddled-Slytherin: Oh thanks for the review! One of my favorite authors. You have to go read her stuff. Dark and awesome. Glad I made you laugh. Considering the stuff you write, you need a laugh, but hey, with a name like Riddled-Slytherin how could you go wrong. So while you are waiting for my next chapter, go check out Lady Darkness, a Ginny/Tom fic.

Fire-Sprite16: Well, Voldemort isn't even at the Snow Castle yet, well, maybe He is, but he isn't too concerned about the children right now. He has bigger birds to fry, but he will notice soon.

Anonymous: Yes, Ron's stupidity is amazing isn't it? I think Hermione just wants to give her brain a complete breakdown. That's why she's with him. They do say, opposites attract. And about my crooked foal. She is wearing a cast that the vet put on her now. I should take a picture of her. She looks so silly. The vet thinks she will get a little straighter anyway. She and her mother are going stir crazy in the barn. The filly will never race, but she is a sweetheart and we will either use her for a trail horse or if she gets straight enough maybe a jumper. We can hope. For those of you who are wondering what I am talking about, go see my baby horses at yahoo group, TheSeersTruth.

Potter-gurl17: I love when people tell me their favorite lines. Thank you. Sorry for the cliffie. More to come.

Lauz: Yes, well Voldemort is busy and it's a big castle. Glad Valeriana gave you a laugh. That's what she was supposed to do.

DraginLover: Hilarity was what I was aiming for, so I'm glad it worked. Hope you chuckled a little on this chapter too, but the laughs are over soon, so enjoy while you can. Are you anxious to get them out of the Snow Castle. I thought they were having a great deal of fun traipsing all over the place. I know I was.

Little Red Rabbit: Time frame--Right now, it's been less than an hour. You will see shortly that Vincent who is taking Draco's place back at Hogwarts only had a couple of doses of polyjuice, so then you will have a better idea of the time. Thank you for mentioning that to me. I added some time reminders in this chapter.

Kemenran: Getting positively wordy. I love it. As far as the calvary…I don't think it's coming. You will see why soon. In OotP, I hated that the children were the whole story and then they had to be bailed out by the aurors, when the adults themselves were so stupid for the majority of the book. They didn't seem that trustworthy to me. I won't have them stealing the children's guts and glory. After all, it is Harry's story according to JK and according to me, it's the children who are important, so what calvary should be coming? Dumbledore? Sniggers.

Jager: Happy? More Ginny/Tom is on its way just for you. In fact, lots more Ginny/Tom coming up. Actually, my best Ginny/Tom is coming up. Well, maybe not my very best, but defiantly close to it. I have a particular liking for the Ginny/Tom in my story, THE SECRET SEDUCTION, but I'm weird. Shivers.

Come r&r my other fics while you wait for the update on this one. Don't forget to review and visit the yahoo group site, TheSeersTruth. It's great fun.

Kisses and curses,

Lady Lestrange


	33. CH 33: Gryffindor Luck

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 32**

**Gryffindor Luck**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

**15 reviews:** I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it **20 reviews…**

**(A/N**: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point:** Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way--or not-- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" And now, since the group has saved Neville, will they be able to save themselves. Oh, and Severus' unknown plan is finally discovered. **Muwhawhawha!**

For further discussion, visit: **YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth**

**Chapter 32**

**Gryffindor Luck**

**(PG-13 Warning:** Voldemort is at his most devious self here. If you were upset by Chapter 5, "Visions of Voldemort" this one will probably swick you too. Suggested slash. Nothing explicit, not even a kiss.)

Voldemort thought there was not a prettier sight in the world than his trusted Death Eater, Severus Snape levitating the body of Albus Dumbledore into his presence, but there was no time for Voldemort to enjoy Snape's news, because a portkey had been used—an unauthorized portkey. He had thought that sending Carman ahead with the children was enough supervision. Apparently he was wrong. Voldemort's eyes narrowed. The child using a unauthorized portkey would be punished, of course, but he was in entirely too good of a mood to be truly angry. He simply waited while Snape levitated the body to him.. He expected one of his Death Eaters to come to him with an explanation about the portkey, but in the meantime, he wondered, which of the children would be so bold. Unless it was not a child--How could any of the aurors have known where the Snow Castle was? Did Albus tell them? When? And weren't they all rather busy at the Ministry? The mystery bothered him. He was anxious for some Death Eater to come and give a report of what had happened.

The wards of the Snow Castle had reset and locked after Snape's apparition back to the Dark Lord was completed. Severus was one of the last of the adults to arrive, but he had been on a special mission. Some had come from the Ministry as they finished their appointed tasks and were dismissed. Others had taken their charges to Askaban. Although the dementors no longer haunted the place, it was still a rock devoid of magic and a safe place to hold the pureblood wizards until he had use for them, or killed them. Now that Albus was dead, he had no doubt that many would see reason.

Gillroy rushed into the room with an explanation for the portkey use.. "My Lord!" He dropped to his knees and when acknowledged, continued speaking. "Someone has used a portkey against the wards. It's not one of ours. It's an intruder."

"Then they are still inside the Snow Castle," said Voldemort.

"Yes Master," agreed the Death Eater.

"Should I set the alarm?" Gillroy asked.

"No," said Voldemort softly. "They got in, but they will not get out. Take a team of Death Eaters and search the castle."

"Yes master." The man hesitated.

"What is it?" snapped Voldemort.

"Most of the adults are still--absent."

"Then use the children and the veelas. They are capable," said Voldemort. "Find them," Voldemort said succinctly waving the Death Eater away confident in the man's ability to find the cause and culprits behind the use of the portkey. Perhaps it was just one of the students, trying to return late to Hogwarts. It was not something he was worried about yet. He turned his attention to Severus, a satisfied smile creasing his face. Nothing would mar this moment in his mind: the moment he first beheld Albus Dumbledore's dead body.

Voldemort had turned the main Hall of the Rosier Snow Castle into something of a throne room. It had a large open area where most if not all of his Death Eaters could gather, but now, there was no one present but himself and Severus Snape. He watched while Severus struggled with the simple spell, the body slowly dropping until it was a bare foot off of the floor. Severus was tired, he thought. Perhaps Dumbledore put up more of a fight than he thought he would, even though he had to have been tired when he got away from the Ministry.

Snape dropped the body on the marble floor with a klunk. "It is done as you wished, Master."

Not exactly as he wished, thought Voldemort. He would have liked to deliver the killing blow himself, but it was done at last, and he still had Harry Potter to look forward to.

Severus pocketed his wand and pushed the strings of his hair back from his sweated face as he spoke. "Now, your destiny with Harry Potter can proceed unhindered by the Old Man."

Voldemort paced around Dumbledore, staring at the matted white hair, the pursed, unyielding lips. He reached down and pulled open an eyelid and examined the sightless blue eyes. There was no twinkle there now, only death.

"I closed them," said Snape. "They seemed—"

Voldemort turned, fixing Severus with a stare. "Accusing, perhaps?" asked Voldemort with a slight smile..

"He is here," said Severus coolly. "My loyalty is to you."

"Loyalty?" said Voldemort with a small smile. He reached out and touched Dumbledore's beard, pulling his hand back almost as soon as he touched the downy white mass.

"So it is," said Voldemort. Reaching out his other hand and touching Severus face. As expected, Severus' exhaustion left him more open than usual to Voldemort's perusal. All of the wards were still there, but he did see a bit of regret, but more, he saw anger. The number of times he, Severus Snape had been passed over for the Defense against the Dark Arts job—The anger covered everything else obliterating every other emotion he might have felt from Severus.

"But he gave you that in the end," said Voldemort, and Severus mind snapped shut like a trap. "and why do you care what happened when you are a child," Voldemort continued. Why do you care that he never treated you like a Gryffindor? You are the superior creature."

"That is why he is dead," Severus answered. His voice was expressionless and soft. His shoulders drooped slightly as if a great weight was on his shoulders. He did not seem happy about Dumbledore's death, but then Severus never seemed happy about anything. Even in Muggle baiting, he was cool and calculating, holding himself above the frenzy, but Voldemort would not let Severus' reserve mar this moment.

Voldemort laughed, a full, belly rolling laugh, but the sound grated from his snake lips, and he threw his arm around Severus in a comraderly fashion. "You are my finest," said Voldemort.

Severus ducked from beneath his arm. "May I be excused to wash the Gryffindor stink from myself?" He raised his wand, "and I'll remove the offal—"

"No," said Voldemort laying his hand on Severus' bare palm. There was a flash of something, so quickly squelched that Voldemort couldn't catch the emotion, and then there was only the quiet mind of Severus Snape, like stone: cold, gray, unbreakable.

"I wasn't intending to destroy it," said Severus. "There are so many uses—"

Voldemort nodded. "I rather thought a monument—" He gestured grandly, Severus Snape killing the great and undefeatable Albus Dumbledore. We could, of course, have one of the aurors take polyjuice to look like you and then one of my basilisks could turn both the auror and the body to stone, so much more economical that sculpture.

"More life-like too," said Severus in a dry voice. Voldemort's eyes narrowed, studying Snape, trying to decide if that was Severus' version of a joke. "We'll have to wait a while though. The basilisks won't have their eyes open until June," he said evenly.

Snape didn't answer.

"If you have betrayed me," said Voldemort in a low voice.

"Betrayed?" Whiffs of guilt rose from Severus, quickly squelched and followed by fear. "He is dead," said Severus coldly. "You know more about death than any wizard alive. You know he is dead—"

"If this is not Albus Dumbledore's body—"

"My Lord!"

"We should burn it!" Voldemort raised his hands, Elemental fire contained in his closed fists.

"Wait!" A blast of cloying fear issued from Severus.

Voldemort squelched the fire and folded his arms waiting. "Why are you afraid, Severus?"

"I'm afraid—I will never have your trust." Voldemort could feel Severus' anger building. "If you don't believe that this is Albus Dumbledore, then all I have worked for is for nothing. I've done what you asked! Gladly!" Severus was shouting now and pacing the floor, his black robes billowing. "I've given you more than my life." He turned to face him. "I deserve your trust." He sneered.

"You deserve nothing," spat Voldemort. "How dare you make that presumption." Voldemort expected Severus to realize his mistake and grovel at his feet, but as usual, Severus was full of surprises.

Since they were alone, Voldemort raised an eyebrow, waiting while Snape dug through the inner pockets of his robe. "What are you looking for?" asked Voldemort curious.

"Veritaserum," said Snape, pulling a vial from one of the myriad pockets.

"It could be faked," said Voldemort.

Growling, Severus threw the expensive vial to the floor, smashing the glass bottle into a million tiny shards. Within seconds, the potion had evaporated from the floor. Voldemort didn't need to touch Severus to know he was angry. The emotion rolled off of him in waves, drowning every other emotion, and Voldemort smiled as Snape railed. "I've killed my mentor—my friend—" Snape closed his lips, but the thoughts were nearly shouted: _I've killed my mentor, my friend and this is your repayment to me! Damn you! You—_ The thoughts were squelched and fear returned. Severus looked at him, eyes still burning with anger, but now under strict control. Severus began digging in his robe again, this time pulling out a vial of gloppy gray liquid. "Polyjuice," he pronounced, "Use it and your agent can go to the heart of Hogwarts, to the last stronghold of the Wizarding world_." I_ have given you this freedom. _I, Severus Snape, and no other!"_

Voldemort stared at the vial. It did indeed look like polyjuice. Polyjuice would certainly prove this was Dumbledore's body, but he had no intention of drinking anything from Severus' stores even if he hadn't been an animagus. It could just as easily be poison.

"Drink it then," said Voldemort.

Severus took two steps forward and yanked one of the hairs from Dumbledore's head, but Voldemort stopped him. He reached forward and pulled a different hair, making sure that it had indeed been attached to Albus' head before dropping it into the proffered bottle himself. Severus downed it in one gulp. He didn't even grimace as he began the rapid change. His hair growing longer and whiter, his beard sprouting on his face and his black eyes lightening into blue, but there was no twinkle in them.

"I didn't betray you," Severus said evenly, and then as the mannerisms and voice tone took effect, Severus continued. "Alas, I am defeated. You have won, Tom." He brought a hand up to stroke his long beard as if in amazement. "You have defeated Albus Dumbledore." Severus took a breath, his voice strangely his own. "This is good," he said. "I can return to Hogwarts, and be seen by any number of teachers. It will throw suspecion off of me. Otherwise, you know, I will be the first to be suspected. The polyjuice will allow me to clear my name.

"OH, no," said Voldemort. "You won't need to go back there again.

Nerves, thought Voldemort. That was what the fear was. He could smell the sweat, not a lot now, but a little—Well, I guess that was to be expected, after all, killing Dumbledore was a bit of a feat, even if the Old Man was exhausted from the battle at the Ministry building. "It pleases me to have you by my side, Severus."

"Yes, Master. Thank you Master," said Severus, but there was an undeniable hesitancy within Severus. Something was not right.

Voldemort knew he could not penetrate Severus' shields, nonetheless, He spoke the word softly, **"legilimens!"** But instead of searching, he pushed his burning demands into Severus mind, blinding him to all else in that moment. Voldemort's thoughts wrapped around Severus' thoughts like a serpent, squeezing themselves into places that they didn't belong. The words were sibilant and venomous. "_If you are lying to me, Severus--if you have betrayed me, Severus--we will see the limits of a time turner and you will beg for death again and again, and again, in every minute that it will afford us. I promise you--"_ He felt Severus shudder under the impact of his invasion, but the cold smooth impregnability of his thoughts was unchanged, but he grated against the edges of Severus' mind, like a snake wriggling beneath a rock. When he withdrew, Severus staggered, his hand going automatically to his now throbbing head. He looked at Voldemort, meeting his eyes defiantly.

"If I have betrayed you, I will bring the time turner," he sneered. "Just as I have brought you Albus Dumbledore."

The ghost of a smile crossed Voldemort's face. "What of the werewolf?" he asked changing the subject.

"He sleeps in the Hogwarts' infirmary, as does Sirius Black and Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" said Voldemort.

"His spine was shattered and he needed bones re-grown. Lucius thought it more prudent to take him to Hogwarts than St. Mungos, since he is supposed to be at school now."

"Good." Voldemort nodded thoughtfully. "But the werewolf is lost to us."

"If I entered Hogwarts as Dumbledore it would be a simple matter to regain him for you."

Voldemort shook his head. "Let's wait until we are closer to the full moon. There is no point in us taking care of the creature now. We can retrieve the werewolf at our leisure." Voldmeort continued to stare at Dumbledore's prone body. "There is plenty of time now that the Old Fool is out of the way."

Snape stood for a moment more before speaking—"I'll clean up here for you." Severus raised his wand in the direction of Dumbledore's body.

"No. Leave him lie there for a while. I want to look at him. It's been so long, Severus. I've waited so long for this moment."

Voldemort snapped his fingers and Winky appeared. "Bring us some wine, elf," Voldemort ordered. "The best wine in Rosier's cellars."

Winky nodded and disapperated. Within seconds she had returned with the wine and glasses balanced on a silver tray. She put it on the side table. She hesitated obviously unwilling to speak. At last she squeeked, "Shall Winky pour, Master?"

"No," said Voldemort waving her away and pouring the glasses himself. He passed one to Severus. "To the new beginning of the wizarding world," he said raising his glass.

"To the new beginning," Severus echoed, and they both silently sipped the wine.

"I heard that Narcissa has her new Muggle serving tea at Malfoy Manor," Voldemort said conversationally. "Lucius tells me, she has never liked the look of house elves. They are ugly creatures, but they have their uses."

"Yes, Master," Severus said as he sipped his wine.

"So what have you done with the Muggle woman I gave you. Severus?"

Severus sat his wine on the table and folded his hands in his lap. "I gave her the task of tending some herbs for my potions," he said. "She has a good hand with them."

Voldemort shook his head. "I gave you the most beautiful of them all, and all you can think of to do with her is shut her up with your potions ingredients. Has she no feminine charm?"

"She has no magic," Severus answered immediately. "I have never understood wizards' dalliance with muggles--"

Severus broke off suddenly. Something dark and terrible had crossed his Master's face. He frantically tried to think what he might have said wrong. "Are you angry at my actions with her, my Lord," said Severus in a penitent voice.

"Lack of action, perhaps," said Voldemort, swirling the wine in his glass. He drank the last of it, and sat silently looking at Dumbledore's body.

"If I may be so bold, what will you do with him?" asked Severus.

"You are bold," Voldemort answered.

"I just thought, there are so many uses for his body—polyjuice not withstanding," said Snape gesturing to his own waist length white beard."

"Perhaps, but not for you. I want you finally by my side where you belong."

A long silence followed.

"You are pensive, My Lord."

"I'm trying to think of when I first wanted to kill him--Probably when he made me stay after transfiguration owls in fifth year. I had planned the basilisk's hatching so carefully—after all classes were done. I didn't know owls were the following week.

"Anyone elses' class I could have gotten out of –but not Albus. I had abbreviated the date."

"Pardon, My Lord," said Severus.

"I abbreviated the date, Jun. 14, He wanted to know why I thought it would save so much time to abbreviate when it only saved a single letter. I needed to take the time to smell the roses, he said. Time with people. Stop rushing through life. Enjoy my friends. Be patient. And while he kept me standing there in the corridor, my basilisks were hatching. My _friends_—were hatching and they were dying. My basilisks were eating each other. When I saw him at the head table, at supper that night I wanted to kill him. I _burned_ to kill him. Do you know what I mean, Severus? Have you ever felt such a consuming need to kill someone?"

"Yes, Master."

"Of course you have, and you have satisfied that need." Said Voldemort touching Severus' face. "I don't like these hiding your face from me," Voldemort commented, pulling on the white beard that the poly juice had given him.

"Do you know what he said that night at supper? He said 'we had such a nice chat.' He worried I had no close friends. Worried because I had skipped meals. I was in the Chamber you understand."

"I understand."

He tried to orchestrate my friendships. "Can you imagine the arrogance of that man?"

"I can. What about Carman?"

"He didn't know about Carman at that time. We were very discrete. No, he thought I was all work and no play Tom. He never understood me. There was so much more than he ever saw. It's the nature of Gryffindors I believe to be such shallow individuals, don't you think?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Now you, Severus," said Voldemort drawing a long finger down Severus' now wihiskered cheek. "You have always understood me better than anyone."

"Better than—H—her? Valeriana?" Asked Severus.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow, and cupped Severus chin in his hands. It was pillowed by Albus ample beard. "Jealousy? Will you at this late date join the ranks of those jostling for my right hand?"

"Not jealousy," said Severus evenly. "Curiosity."

"I should have known." Voldemort moved his face a little closer to Severus', tasting the air and observing his facial expressions as well as feeling for his thoughts. Dumbledore's blue eyes had lost their twinkle in Severus contol, but there was no inkling from them what Severus was thinking. There was nothing. Nothing at all, and Voldemort moved closer still, so that his lips were just a breath from Severus'. "By the way," he whispered, "Now that Dumbledore is dead, you don't need all of those shields. I understand that, like the Muggle, Valeriana was not to your liking?"

"Did she tell you that?"

"She didn't have to." Voldemort waited for some flicker of information, but none came. A moment longer he waited, letting the thought that perhaps Valeriana let some secret of his slip, but still Severus mind was as smooth and enigmatic as ever. "Perhaps I have decided, I needed to take matters into my own hands," Voldemort whispered, his mouth so close to Severus that if he wanted to, he could taste his lips with his tongue, but he waited. He wanted Severus reaction. There was none. Absolutely none, and truthfully, Voldemort found the long white beard that Severus now wore, particularly repulsive, he let go of Severus' face and sat back in the chair. "Yes, he said, "I think a celebration is in order. You may choose who you want, Severus. If not Valeriana, someone else. I must tell you her magic was entrancing." He paused his voice wistful as he continued, "Although Narcissa is more beautiful--I could persuade Lucius to share, he has done so before, or any of the students from Durmstrang or Beaubatons could be yours. I'm sure that we have a veela or two among the children.

"No," said Severus in a hoarse whisper and at last Voldemort felt a flicker of feeling from him. He was repulsed.

Voldemort smiled, amused by Severus' reserve. "The veelas are restless," continued Voldemort, "But they will also be a challenge. You could choose from among my rank, men or women, boys or girls, I really don't care which—" and he felt Severus pull himself tighter away from him. "Relax," whispered Voldemort, touching his face again, and then pulling his wand. "Of course you have always been ambitious, Severus." He touched the top button at Severus neck with the wand and smiled. "Maybe I have read you wrong." Voldemort paused, putting a long finger under Severus whiskered chin, and raising his eyes to his own, but Severus immediately averted his eyes. The emotion was fleeting, but Voldemort latched onto it, trying to understand this man who had been so crucial to so many of his goals. It wasn't desire, but it was fiery. Anger perhaps—anger that he was so misunderstood—or anger about something else. "If you want something done right," said Voldemort in a matter of fact voice. "you have to do it yourself."

Severus was still as a corpse. He closed his eyes and wrapped his emotions tightly around himself. Voldemort could sense nothing, neither fear nor desire nor even Severus' ever present curiosity. No, he was closed up tight as a Gringott's vault. Voldemort smiled. Well he had gotten those open hadn't he?

Voldemort touched Severus' outer robe and disposed of it easily, but underneath Albus' robe was the same sort of robe Severus wore all the time, pure black and buttoned up to the neck with tiny buttons like a priest's collar. Volemort hesitated, seeking a reaction, but still none came. He touched the top button again, and then continued touching them one at a time, thirty seven of them from Severus' neck to his waist. **"Recingo"** he said softly. Still the buttons remained buttoned. He frowned. "Ah, a puzzle," said Voldemort. **"Discingo! **Don't tell me. **Discinctus est!"** He tried several more charms and when none of them worked, he folded his arms across his chest. Eyes narrowed he said, "I see your Avery blood here. This is a very Ravenclaw puzzle. **Dissolvo**" Finally,Voldemort released his magic and manually unbuttoned the top three buttons.

He laughed softly. "Would _diffindo_ have worked," he asked.

"No," said Severus momentarily meeting the Dark Lord's eyes and he felt the contempt in Severus mind. _Foolish dunderheads all--_ It felt like a slip of Severus' control, but Voldemort was uncertain, and then it was gone. He did not remember Severus ever losing even a bit of that iron control and yet he was very close to the man, touching him, looking in his eyes and Severus was tired. His guard was down. Perhaps--

"The purebloods would have never gotten you out of these robes would they?" asked Voldemort. "I think I'll wait until your continence changes though. You're quite an ugly old man right now, Severus. I might forget myself and decide to kill him again."

Voldemort touched Severus' neck beneath the white hair, and felt the emotions quite clearly now. "Fear and anger."

"I like the fear," said Voldemort.

_I like the anger,_ thought Severus with a strange glint in his steely blue eyes.

"My Lord," broke in one of the Death Eaters. He ground to a halt when he saw what looked like the Dark Lord with two Dumbledores, one on the floor and the other –

"My Lord," the Death Eater said again, keeping his eyes studiously on the floor in front of the Dark Lord. He said nothing else, but knelt in readiness, awaiting Lord Voldemort's acknowledgement, but Voldemort said nothing to the messenger. His attention was wholly on Snape.

Severus— we'll get back to this—about your occlumency wards." He ran his finger along Severus cheek and settled it on the snowy beard beneath his lip. "They will come down," His tongue flicked in and out as he rubbed his thumb along Severus' bottom lip. "They will come down, Severus--voluntarily or involuntarily. It's up to you." Without turning to look at the messenger, Voldemort snapped a stream of questions: "The ones who used the portkey? Who were they? Are they in my dungeon?"

The Death Eater hesitated, unwilling to answer.

"Someone was in the dungeon," the messenger said slowly with eyes downcast. "But we didn't catch them." He flinched as if expecting an attack, but continued when Voldemort said nothing. "The Vampires are attacking your hybrid dragon. Walden thinks they will drain it if they are not stopped. The dungeons are in chaos. He sent me to ask for help."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed in anger as he looked at the Death Eater. "Incompetents," he muttered. "Who could have used the portkey anyway? One of the Durmstrang brats?" Although he was angry, nothing could break Voldemort's elation over Dumbledore's death. For once he was merciful in his dealings with his Death Eaters. Nothing could stop him now that Dumbledore was dead. Nothing. He hoped they could save the dragon, but even this newest bother couldn't break his good mood.

"Aurors," said Severus. "they would look in the dungeon for your Prophecy Child. Albus said he knew where the Snow Castle was. I didn't think he told anyone except me. I must have been wrong. I beg forgiveness, my Lord." He dropped to one knee, and they were once again Death Eater and Master.

Voldemort ignored him glaring at the messenger. "You are lucky, I don't have time to deal with you now," he said. "We need to secure the Prophecy children just in case Severus is right. "Go!"

Narcissa stumbled into the room at an indecorous run that was certainly not her normal gait. "Master," she said, barely sparing a glance at the Dumbledore sprawled on the floor or the one kneelingin front of the Dark Lord. "There are new twins in the kitchen. They said they were your children, but I can't find Virginia and Valeriana has gone to collect the twins and bring them to you. They are Weasley's, Master. Weasley twins. Are they Death Eaters, Sir?"

Voldemort stood, crashing the table over in his ire and shattering the wine glasses.. "They are not," he said, his eyes blazing fire. "You will find them, Narcissa and you will bring them to me."

Narcissa extended her arm. "You do not want to summon Virginia?" she offered.

"No no. After all, they cannot escape the Snow Castle unless I drop the wards which I am not going to do. They can run, but they cannot escape. Enjoy the chase, my dear," he said stroking Narcissa's cheek and looked down at Dumbledore's dead body. "Don't you think he looks better than he ever has?"

"Oh yes, my Lord," said Narcissa as he smiled at her.

"Go find the intruders," he demanded and she rushed to do her Master's bidding.

>

(POV)

A crash and a muttered oath made the small group of children freeze. The Death Eaters were closer than they had thought. "Cloak!" Harry whispered frantically, pulling the Invisibility Cloak from his pocket and shaking it out. It billowed over Ron and Neville as Harry shook it out. Draco grabbed an end and pulled it over himself, adding the piece he carried and Draco, Ron and Neville dissolved into invisibility and Melisande took charge of the muggles, calling over her shoulder. "Fourth floor."

Hermione pulled Samara close and did the spell that dissolved part of the wall, pulling Samara into it with her.

"Harry! Help me help Harry," Ginny begged of Tom.

"Come on Ginny," said Neville holding up an edge of the cloak, but she shook her head, stepping toward Harry who had raised his wand.

_"Close your hand over his wand," urged Tom. "Stop his spell. He is too close. If Salazar is with the group, he will sense Harry's presence." _

"You just want to touch his wand," accused Ginny.

_"No—Don't use your wand," said Tom._

"Don't use your wand," Ginny echoed.

"But," began Harry.

Accessing Tom's knowledge, Ginny did the exact same spell that Hermione had done, pulling them into the wall and closing the outside over them. The spell was by nature, a one person space. As she brought her wand arm down, she had to squeeze her hand between Harry's chest and the wall. She turned slightly thinking to slip her wand into her pocket but Harry turned at the same moment. She felt a warm blush color her face as her arm brushed against his upper thigh. Luckily it was too dark to see Harry's reaction. Tom's reaction of course was not hindered by the lack of light.

_"You don't have to be so cramped," complained Tom._

"Jealous?" asked Ginny but she decided to continue the spell, enlarging the opening so that Harry didn't have to stand quite so close to her, and working her way closer to Samara and Hermione.

_Tom guffawed._

Harry opened his mouth to ask Ginny when Ron had taught her that spell and what was this variation that allowed movement within the wall, but she put her finger to his lips signifying silence. She felt his warm breath on her fingers and Tom attempted to take her over.

"So you _are_ worried about my being close to him?" Ginny asked Tom as she edged the niche forward so that she and Harry were adjacent to the others. 

_"No," Tom said, but she knew he was lying. He couldn't hide anything from her anymore. From here, we should be able to hear if anyone is in the Hall," whispered Tom and she grew quiet, listening. _

_ >_

It was then, they heard the voices coming from the Hall: Snape and Voldemort! She had never heard Snape's voice so angry. "I've killed my mentor—my friend—" There was a shuffling of robes and then Snape's voice again. "Polyjuice," Snape pronounced, shortly. "Use it and your agent can go to the heart of Hogwarts, to the center of the Ministry. I have given you this freedom. I, Severus Snape, and no other!"

"Drink it then," said Voldemort.

"I didn't betray you," Severus said, and the voice changed, Albus Dumbledore and yet not Albus, continued in a slow, soft voice. "Alas, I am defeated. You have won, Tom." The voice continued. "You have defeated Albus Dumbledore." Then even though the voice still sounded like Albus Dumbledore, the abrupt style of speaking, was Snape's. "This is good," he said. "I can return to Hogwarts, and be seen by any number of teachers. It will throw suspecion off of me. Otherwise, you know, I will be the first to be suspected. The polyjuice will allow me to clear my name.

Harry brought his hand up to his mouth to stifle back a sob. Snape had killed Dumbledore!

"Snape! No!" cried Ginny. "I don't believe it."

_"I heard it with our own ears, Ginny Love," thought Tom. " I guess we can't go through the Hall to the stairs. We'll have to find another way."_

"Psst! Ginny?" whispered Ron from his vantage point in the corridor.

Ginny's hand on Harry's shoulder caused him to turn. She was moving the niche again, pushing out toward the corridor.Ginny peeked out, seeing that the danger was past and then stepped out into the corridor and looked around. "Samara!" Ginny called at a whisper, and Ron raised the edge of the Invisibility Cloak, peering at her and Harry. Neville was red-faced and Draco looked ready to curse someone. "I'm not supposed to be here," he hissed.

"None of us are, Draco," snapped Harry. "Shut up and think. Snape killed Dumbledore," he announced to his stunned friends. "We heard—"

"Us too," interrupted Samara, frowning at Ginny. "But his aura is all wrong--"

_"We are extremely exposed here, Ginny. We need to find a safe place. We can discussall of thison the forth floor." _

Ginny ignored him.

"Who gives a damn about his aura," snapped Ron. "the greasy snake killed Dumbledore. It just proves he's loyal to You know who!"

"Loyalty is a Hufflepuff concept. If Snape killed him, it was not because of loyalty." Said Draco..

"I agree," said Ginny. "Snape isn't a killer."

"He's a sodding Death Eater, Ginny," said Fred.

"So am I," Ginny said softly.

"You know he didn't mean it like that," George added, trying to put his arm around his little sister, but she pulled away from him. "It's just--" Fred ran a hand through his mussed hair. "It's Dumbledore. I thought he would live forever.

"Personally," said Samara. "It doesn't bother me a whole lot that he is dead. He was an interfering bastard and I think if Harry had been told the truth and then left to work out the details, this whole war would have been avoided."

"You mean Harry would have killed Voldemort?" asked Ron.

"Well, the prophecy does say 'ware of losing your childhood soon, and three brave childen mend the story," Hermione quoted. "After all Harry, how long can you still be considered a child, and what happens if the time passes and there is no confrontation. What happens to the prophecy then?"

Neville shrugged. "Would it just be proved false?"

"I'm not sure," said Samara, frowning at them. "The prophecy is already started because of the events of fourteen years ago."

"and Dumbledore let us use a time turner to save Sirius," said Hermione pieceing the ideas together. "Since one part of the prophecy is true, you generally assume that the rest is true."

_"A time turner?" wondered Tom briefly, but his thought immediately went back to the problem at hand. "Ginny Love, you are standing in a corridor, and I really don't think there is enough space between us and Salazar. We need to move. Now."_

"Be quiet Tom," Ginny thought.

_"We will both be quiet for a hell of a long time when we are dead!" snapped Tom, and he attempted to take over her body._

She shivered, but tried to ignore him and concentrate on what Samara was saying.

"Yes, but you should know, Snape's aura is all wrong," said Samara. "There is something drastically wrong with him."

"So Snape went barmy or maybe it isn't Dumbledore?" asked Harry, suddenly hopeful.

"No, that's not it," said Samara. "It's Snape--he has two auras, his own and Dumbledore's."

_Ginny said nothing, and although Tom speculated on the possibilities, he urged Ginny to convince the Gryffindors to hide._

"What!" whispered Hermione. "That's impossible."

"That son-of-a-bitch," snapped Draco. "It's not impossible."

"But how?" began Samara, her mouth falling open in horror as Draco uttered a single spell, "_In immolo relinqui pectoris"_

"Aislinn," Samara whispered so softly no one heard her except perhaps Draco and he didn't clarify.

"What's that?" asked Ron. "I don't know that spell."

_"Slytherin dark magic," said Tom shortly. "He really doesn't want to know."_

"Ron," began Ginny.

"The rough translation," Draco said, "is in sacrifice you bequeath to me your soul."

Ginny was practically hyperventilating, thinking of the awful spell that took Rookwood's life force and gave it to Voldemort. Surely Snape wouldn't do something like that to Dumbledore, but the proof was right there in front of her.

"Snape wouldn't do that," Ginny said shaking her head, and thinking of all he had said to her about the role of the Light when she had been at Hogwarts over Christmas. _He couldn't. He wouldn't._

_"We need to get out of here," Tom advised Ginny. "If Salazar is headed for our room, all hell's gonna break loose."_

"We need to get out of here," Ginny blurted.

Ron frowned at his sister.

"They will be searching for us," said Samara aloud.

"We aren't going to make it are we, Tom?" asked Ginny.

_"Doubtful," agreed Tom. _

"We have to use the floo now," said Ginny. "If we can get in--" she broke off worriedly. "Since they are looking for intruders, let's slow them down, shall we, Tom?" asked Ginny.

_"I think that's the best idea you've had in a long while, Ginny Love," said Tom. An extra ward might slow the Death Eaters, but your wards won't keep Salazar out. Eventually, he will break it."_

"It doesn't need to keep Him out. It just needs to slow the Death Eaters down a bit, thought Ginny.

_"Agreed."_

"Let's just take a quick peek to see what they are planning before we go," said Ron as he disappeared into the wall.

"Gryffindors," moaned Lauren.

"Leave him," spat Draco, but Ginny entered the wall to retrieve her errant brother. As she did, she heard Severus addressing Voldemort. "Do you want me to secure Miss Weasley and Miss Donnally both?"

Ginny held her breath as Voldemort spoke again.

"No Severus," said the Dark Lord. "You," he said pointing a skeletal finger at the messenger, "Get a few Death Eaters to help you ward the dragon. Severus, you will administer the calming potion to the Vampires.

Ginny could feel the latent magic melting along her fingertips, a curse in her hands, and Tom tried to calm her as she reached out and touched Ron's sleeve. "Let's go," she mouthed to him.

Voldemort growled at the Death Eater who bowed and hurried from the room to do Voldmort's bidding.

Severus stared mutely at Voldemort. When he spoke, he said quietly, "The vampire's calming potion is at Hogwarts. Do you want to drop the wards so that I can go and get it?"

For just a moment Ginny had hope, and then it was dashed.

"No!" hissed Voldemort.

_"Let's go," whispered Tom urgently. "You need to get control of yourself, Ginny Love. There is nothing you can do. Let's just go!"_

Good idea, thought Ginny who didn't really want to see Snape tortured, even though he had just killed Dumbledore. She couldn't seem to process all of the information quickly enough.

_"Just concentrate on one thing at a time," said Tom. We need to keep the Death Eaters busy for a while so we can regroup and strategize. We'll have to figure out how to get into his room. It's the only way out now. He isn't going to open the wards for us."_

"We need a diversion," said Ginny. "Then the others can get to the forth floor. We can't plan in the middle of the corridor."

_Tom's ideas flowed into hers._

"I have an idea," she said.

_"It's my idea," Tom corrected._

"I'm not going to tell them that, Tom."

Ginny explained to the others what she thought they should do. "We need something to throw them off our track. We should ward the door to our rooms," Ginny said to Samara. "If they apparate to our rooms and discover we are missing, they'll be able to find us in a minute. But if they hit Apparition wards, they will try to walk in from the corridor, and if they still can't get in, they will assume we are in the rooms and take the time to break our wards. We need to buy some time. We aren't going to get into his room easily or quickly." She wanted nothing more than to get as far from this place as possible.

Samara nodded. Speaking in whispers they planned. "My room is pretty well warded when I am in it," said Samara, but together, Ginny and I could make it stronger.

"I just hope it will buy us enough time to get the wards down on His room so we can use the floo," said Ginny.

"The floo?" said George.

"And our baby sister is going to do this?" said Fred with a note of skepticism.

"You continue on to the forth floor," Samara told the Gryffindors "Draco and Lauren can go with you. They know the way." She looked around worried. "Where's Melisande?"

"She was with the muggles," said Neville worriedly. "Disapperated?"

"Well, maybe she will come to the forth floor," said Samara. "She knew that's where we were headed."

Neville nodded, not entirely convinced that Melisande would show up.

"We'll meet you on the forth floor as soon as we finish the wards on our rooms," said Samara. "That will slow them down considerably. They will think we are inside the rooms and we can go to the floo in his room."

_"As long as Salazar doesn't come," said Tom. "We need to see how fast you and Samara can do these wards. You're making me nervous, Ginny Love."_

"He won't come," said Ginny. "He's a lazy ass who leaves all of that mess to his Death Eaters. After all, what's the point of having underlings if you have to do the scut jobs yourself."

_"You may be right, Ginny Love, but we'd better hurry or this could be disastrous_."

Draco shrugged. "The wards on your room might be a good idea," he agreed with Samara, but "You aren't going."

"Of course I am," said Samara. "It's the only way."

"Then I'm coming with you," said Draco.

"No," said Samara. "Ginny and I will be alright. After all, the Dark Lord never said we couldn't wander around the Snow Castle." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Draco, if you apparate Harry, you can escape if you need to. I'd rather you didn't apparate considering your injuries, but you _can_ all apparate. They need you."

"Why? Did they run out of Gryffindor luck?" snapped Draco.

"We don't need Draco," snapped Ron.

"What about the Muggle girls?" asked Harry. "They can't apparate."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Maybe be Melisande and the Muggles both got lost," he said hopefully.

"With the exception of the Muggles," agreed Samara, "but they are like Ginny and I. They can go where they please within the Snow Castle." She paused turning to Draco. "Look, Draco, if I get into trouble, you will know," she promised, putting a soft kiss on his lips, but before he let her go he pulled her close for a hard searing kiss, magic crackling around them like the remnants of lightening after a summer rain. The rescue team silently searched the stone walls as if to see if the niche spell had made any marks.

After a moment, Harry cleared his throat, and Draco pulled away from Samara and stalked towards the stairway. Ginny could see the haunted look in his eyes. She had seen that same look of defeat in countless other Slytherin's eyes. He no longer believed it was possible to escape. He had just kissed Samara goodbye and was planning how to take the maximum number or casualties with him.

>

(A/N: I know some of you said not enough happened in the last chapter. Well, you know, the calm before the storm, and all. I hope enough happened here to suit your fancy. Grins. Now, go review!)

**Answers to Reviews:**

DarkLordLongbottom: Glad you liked Neville getting a veela. Heheeh. Trusting that veela are we?

Life is Orange: Tom getting a body and living happily ever after means the story is over. Are you that anxious for it to be finished? Special Tom/Ginny stuff coming soon. Be patient.

Jager: I know it needs more Ginny/Tom, but it so much fun to make you beg before it comes. Promise it will be worth it.

JamToeMan: Draco with a sense of humor. Who would have thought it?

DraginLover: enough happen this chapter?

Cronenus: Volde dying by puppy puff. Sounds like a funny cookie. Why don't you write it. Longbottom Veelas.Well, yes, there is that possibility.

FieldOfGold: OK I'm off to write the next stuff.

Trillium: Glad you liked. I have to put a little "funny" before a chapter like this one.

Little Red Rabbit: More Tom/Ginny to come

Chernobyl: More Tom/Ginny to come and I promise that diary did have an effect on her.

Wormtail: Yes, funny Draco. What a thought.

Kemenran: Are you in a hurry for them to leave the castle? Why? I thought we were having fun. I know I was. Heheeh.

Fire Sprite: Tom wasn't able to help her with the imperio before. What makes you think he can now?

Silverfox: Your comment cracked me up, Harry Potter: contact address for snow castle refugees. Will assist all interested with fast and unbuereaucratic emmigration (if he can ever find the door, floo or any other exit). ... You do realise the required size of that spoon is increasing by the chapter (or was that by the paragraph?) while the chances of smuggling the whole group out undetected are steadily sinking. ... I love it. Now you all see what a great writerSilverfox is. Go read her stuff. By the way, you know of course which exit they have to take, right? And as far as the spoon…a preview…only Draco will use it. But it is currently useless. The wards are up around the Snow Castle. Muwhawhawha!

**OK go review.** I've earned it with this chapter. If you don't I will assume you are rendered speechless. LL. Chuckles.


	34. CH 34 Rapidly Encroaching Darkness

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 34**

**Rapidly Encroaching Darkness**

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way--or not-- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" And now, since the group has saved Neville, will they be able to save themselves. Oh, and Severus' unknown plan is finally discovered, but so are the children's escapades. Will they get out?

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

**Chapter 34**

**Rapidly encroaching Darkness**

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville squeezed under the Invisibility Cloak as they walked up the stairs to the entrance of the fourth floor. Harry had his hand on his wand and he could feel his heart pounding. Draco and Lauren walked cautiously beside them and Fred and George brought up the rear. There was no sign of Melisande and the Muggles.

When they reached the door at the top of the stairs, it was warded and Melisande was already there, working on the ward. The Muggles were all chattering excitedly. "I cannot get zee ward off," Melisande confided unhappily.

"Bloody Hell!" Draco swore. "Warded! If it's one of His wards—"

"It's not," said Lauren. "It's Alvin's. I recognize the magic." She knelt beside the door to begin deciphering the combination of charms that was attached to the ward.

After a while, the little group began to nervously discuss their plight. Harry hushed them as Shesha began to hiss anxiously, "Another comes."

"Lauren?" warned Harry, as he stoked Shesha. "Someone's coming. Shesha senses them. You'd better hurry."

"What do you think I'm doing?" snapped Lauren. "Hide."

Draco snatched the Invisibility Cloak from Neville and he and Melisande disappeared under it. A moment later Lauren disappeared as they pulled the cloak over her. Neville spun around with his hand stretched out searching for them. "Melisande?" he whispered.

"I have an idea," said Hermione, as she began rapidly transfiguring their robes to Durmstrang red, starting with Neville's, but within a moment, the door in front of the invisible Lauren swung open and they all clamored up to the forth floor. Behind them, the stairwell door closed like a prison gate.

No lanterns hung on the wall and in the misty shadows it was easy for a dementor to hide.

"**_Lumos,"_** said Hermione, holding her wand high and sending light to the edges of the corridor. "I don't see any dementors here," she said.

"But zee temperature is cold," added Melisande, pulling the cloak off of herself and Lauren, re-joining the group.

"Yes," said Neville, "we could do warming charms."

"No," warned Draco as he shook out the Invisibility Cloak and folded it. "The temperature is our first alert that the dementors are near."

"One of us could just keep a Patronus," suggested Harry, holding out his hand for the Invisibility Cloak. Draco smirked at him and tucked it whole into his own pocket.

"No," said Hermione. "It takes too much energy. We might need that energy later."

"It's creepy up here," said Ron with a shiver that may have had nothing to do with the cold.

"The dementors feed on emotions," said Lauren. "If there are any up here, you are practically calling them to kiss you. It's just dark and—" She looked around nervously.

"There's nothing here," she said decisively a moment later. "Alvin wouldn't have lost any of the dementors up here. He would have been frantic to keep them all contained. What if they got off of this floor and kissed someone? He wouldn't do that."

"You're right," agreed Draco. "I trust Alvin." Nonetheless, he flooded the corridor with the noonday sun spell. There was nothing to see but cold stone walls. "And we are safe from the Death Eaters here. They won't come here unless He gives them a direct order."

"I hope Ginny and Samara are alright," whispered Hermione.

"You never really liked Samara," Draco accused. "You came here to save your boyfriend's sister."

"That's not true," snapped Hermione.

"You may be able to lie to your Gryffindor friends, but not to a Slytherin," said Draco. "You came for the littlest Weasel."

"Leave her alone Malfoy," snapped Ron, pulling his wand.

"Stop it," said Harry, decisively as he stepped between Ron and Draco. He looked from one to the other, willing them to keep the petty bickering to a minimum. It was going to get them all killed. _No_, said the voice of his conscience, _you're going to do that **with** or **without** the bickering._

"And her name is Ginny," he added with a look towards Draco. The Slytherin's response was a careless shrug and a small smirk in Ron's direction. Harry rolled his eyes, even in a crisis; those two just **had** to antagonize each other. Harry turned to the female Gryffindor. "Hermione?" he said softly, hoping she at least would see reason.

"No, he's right," said Hermione. "I did come for Ginny. I didn't like Samara. Classes I had to study for, she seemed to breeze through. It wasn't fair that I was working, and she was just sliding by and getting as good if not better marks than me. I wanted to take her down a bit, but that doesn't mean I want her in the hands of the Dark Lord. She's still a classmate."

"And you'd risk your life for nothing more than a classmate?" asked Draco confused. "What do you get out of it?"

"People should look out for each other," said Hermione. "If we don't, then we are just like the animals, just looking out for themselves."

Draco harrumphed and turned away, but after a moment he came back. "That's what you think of me, don't you?" he asked. "You think I'm just an animal since I put self preservation above all this Gryffindor rescue nonsense."

"Do you?" said Harry softly.

"Yes!" Draco hissed.

"But you are here for Samara. What do you get out of it?" Harry asked, but Draco just smirked at him.

"You re so clueless," he insulted the Gryffindor, but then he continued, his voice losing its arrogance. "It doesn't matter," he said despondently. "We can't get the wards down to get to his floo. It's impossible."

"Gryffindors don't quit at the first sign of trouble," said Harry. "I didn't think Slytherins did either."

"He's awesome at wards. You would think that—he had other—talents. The number of people he's killed, the variations of how he killed them, different methods of torture, all the new animals he's created and he's conquered death. It's enough to keep anyone busy for several lifetimes. Who would think he would have time to master wards?"

Draco shook his head, "But it was one of his first accomplishments before he even left school. Before I was born he set the wards at Malfoy Manor with my father. It was a wedding present to my parents. Everyone knows that wards should periodically be changed, and when I was six, there were new developments in warding spells. My father tried to update them. He almost died. He spent six months in St. Mungo's, and the wards remained unchanged. My father later realized that he couldn't change them without an active Dark Mark. My father is a very accomplished wizard. They were _his_ own wards, on _his own house_, and they almost _killed_ him. Do you really think the little weasel is going to get in?"

There was complete silence as they considered his revelation.

"I can't kill him with my wand," said Harry. "They are brother wands and won't duel. I have to find another way, and it would be best if we could keep the Death Eaters away. After all, only I can kill Voldemort, but any of them can kill me." Green eyes met gray ones, and for a moment neither moved. "I need 'magic unknown'. There's something else." Harry put his face in his hands. "Something I should know, just out of my reach."

"You can do it, Harry," said Draco.

Harry looked at him sharply. He had expected those words from Ron—from Hermione, but not from Draco, and, yet, there was a familiarity about the moment. It made him remember learning to Apparate and Sinistra's insistence that they help one another.

"Samara believes in you," said Draco.

"You called me by my first name," Harry observed softly.

"Well, hell, if we're going to die together we might as well be on a first name basis," laughed Draco and Harry realized Draco was once again hiding behind his flippancy.

"We should explore," Draco said, turning away from Harry. "Look for another way off of the floor incase we are surprised by Death Eaters and we need a back up plan." He shrugged. "Who knows, maybe the weapon Potter needs is on this floor. That would be Gryffindor luck, wouldn't it?"

Harry noticed that Draco was back to calling him Potter. Maybe calling him Harry was just a moment of weakness—or a moment of strength.

htm>

>

"It won't take Him long to realize we aren't in our rooms," said Samara as they hurried along the corridor. "Have you ever set up Apparition wards?" she asked Ginny.

"No, but we'd better learn soon. If He Apparates into our rooms and we aren't there—" Ginny let the thought trail off. Her aura darkened as if that thought was too awful to think about.

"It's not that hard to set Apparition wards," said Samara, interrupting Ginny's morose thoughts. "I've done it, and you're good at wards in general, Ginny, but we have to hurry. We need to be out of here before they come."

"But I'm tired," Ginny said. "The ward in the dungeon and fighting the dragon—"

"I know," Samara consoled. She could see the fatigue, but Ginny was still a strong witch with strange and powerful reserves from somewhere Samara didn't completely understand, but the power of the yellow aura was obviously stronger than the blue. "Between us, I think we can do it. It doesn't have to last forever, just slow them down a bit so we can get to his floo. It's a daring enough move that I don't think anyone will follow us."

"The Death Eaters won't follow," said Ginny. "None of them would dare enter His private chamber." Her own aura flickered in fear at their audacity.

"If they could get in," said Samara. "If we can get in—"

She broke off as she saw Ginny's aura flicker from blue to yellow and back again. Her friend's eyes got the far away look that filled her on occasion and a rather silly smile creased her lips. Her aura strengthened, lightening to a pale golden yellow. "Tom?" Ginny whispered, but she didn't miss a step.

SSSSS

"What do you think we should use as the ward?" Ginny asked Tom and he began to coach her through it's planning as they walked.

By the time they arrived at their rooms, Ginny was ready. Truthfully, the wards only took a few moments to set, but it took less time for the Death Eaters to Apparate. They had only just finished the wards around Ginny's room when the pops of Apparitions sounded. Habit forced them to run into the first open room: Samara's.

Even as they barricaded the door with an additional ward, Ginny realized that this was a mistake. "They'll get in here," said Ginny. "They know we are here! This was stupid. We shouldn't have come in here."

"Well, Ginny, at least you are recognizing when you are acting like a brainless idiot. That's a start, I suppose. We can only hope that you live long enough to continue making these grand strides toward sentience."

"They won't get in that easily," said Samara. "They can't Apparate."

"But we can't get out," cried Ginny.

"_Actually, that's not quite right Ginny."_

They stared at each other in horror for a moment before Ginny said, "Can you make a Portkey?"

"Ginny?" 

Samara shook her head no.

"Maybe the niche in the wall spell—" said Ginny.

_"No," said Tom. "You can't use it to go through the wall. You have to come out on the same side you went in and it's a timed spell. We don't know how long they will stay."_

She heard the voices of the Death Eaters coming closer.

_"Ward the door," ordered Tom._

"But we already have—"

_"Ward the door!" demanded Tom. "Use the twelve point ward. We need time."_

Ginny obeyed just as the Death Eaters reached it. Ginny heard the impact of the spells against the door and looked at Samara.

"What are we going to do?" Samara wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Ginny said. "Tom? Can you help me to make us a Portkey?"

_"No, but I can Apparate you," said Tom._

"We just put up Apparition shields," said Ginny. "How can we?"

"_Idiot," Tom snapped. "Of course I left a hole for us to slip through. It was automatic in the making of the ward: always allow your personal escape route. Didn't you see it?" _

"No, I—" then as Ginny looked more closely, she understood. There was a hole, keyed directly to them. No one else would be able to Apparate through it, but theoretically Ginny could, if she could Apparate at all. "I can't," Ginny thought. "I can't Apparate even if I have _no_ stress. In this situation, it's impossible! Even if I could Apparate, I can't hope to have that kind of precision, and what about Samara?"

"_I can bring Samara. You know I can do it for you," said Tom calmly. "Just to the forth floor corridor. Remember?"_

"I've never been there."

_"I have."_

"When?" blurted Ginny, and was immediately treated to the sight of a well dressed young man who looked amazingly like Maura, but was talking intently to Grindelwald—and Tom. All of them were positively smoldering with Fire Elemental. She could almost smell the smoke and the blood.

"No, never mind. It doesn't matter," thought Ginny, trying to shut out Tom's memory. "Why can't you just help me to make a Portkey?" snapped Ginny.

_"Portkeys use the same premise as Apparition, Ginny. Apparition is actually easier, and I can't use a Portkey through the hole in the ward. The escape route is made for Apparition, not a Portkey. Ginny Love, I know what's worrying you; I won't keep control. As soon as I Apparate us, you can regain control," Tom said reasonably._

His voice had no hint of the earlier banter. He was cool, almost clinical. It was the attitude he got when he wanted to do a particularly difficult spell and it needed his full attention. Like he was in the Chamber, Ginny thought.

"No!"

_"There's no other way," said Tom as the light of spells battered the door. "They will break through, and soon. We can't hold them here, and there is no time. You have to trust me."_

"No. There has to be another way." In her fear, she had spoken aloud.

"Another way?" questioned Samara. "What other way, Ginny?"

_"Ginny Love."_

The door began to glow green and then she heard the hissing. Voldemort speaking to her in parseltongue. "(Young one! Give up this foolishness. If you open this ward immediately, I will be forgiving. If you do not, you will have to be punished.)"

Ginny's blood ran cold. She had hoped it was only the Death Eaters, not Him. This changed everything. "You promised me, I could go home!" shouted Ginny in a pique of Gryffindor bravery.

There was a moment of silence and then the hissing continued. "(Virginia, stop acting like a spoiled toddler.)"

"Tom?" Ginny said, her resolve breaking with her panic. "Help me."

"(You know I will break this ward. I will have you.)" The hissing voice continued, cold and determined and _extremely_ angry.

"_The choice is clear," said Tom_. _"You have to trust me, Ginny Love."_

Through all this Samara was silent although she too heard the parseltongue. Ginny looked at her imploringly. "Ideas?" she mouthed.

"The Emerald," Samara mouthed back.

"(I—I have to get the emerald—You told me to—)" Ginny hissed nervously, adding "(Master,)" at the last minute.

"(Yes,)" agreed Voldemort in Parseltongue.

_But before Ginny could hear what He was saying,_ _Tom suggested the deafness spell. "So he can't piggy back any more commands on your current _**Imperius_."_**

She could almost feel Tom thinking, calculating. Every bit of playfulness had been sucked out of him by the situation.

"He can **summon** me," thought Ginny, panicking even as she obeyed Tom's instincts. She raised her wand and whispered the word, **_"Obscurdesco!"_ **The world went silent, but Tom's voice in her head was still unaffected by the spell since it didn't go through her ears. She was never so grateful to hear his voice in her head.

_"He couldn't **summon** you now without invalidating the **Imperius**,"Tom explained. "Since you told him you were going for the Emerald, he knows you will be ruled by His **Imperius.** Why would he take the trouble to cast a spell of that magnitude twice? It would be a monumental waste of power."_

"Does he know who's here? Does he know about Harry? Can you sense anything from him Tom?"

_"Too dangerous," Tom said his voice impossibly calm as if he needed to convince her of his rationality. "Salazar is alert and focused on you. He would sense me. You need to get out of here," said Tom "And you need my help. We need to Apparate, and we need to do it now."_

She hesitated, looking for the trick, but there didn't seem to be any. "Do it, Tom." she said, tensing and waiting for him to wrest control from her.

She felt the familiar tingling sharper than usual and more focused, but control of her body remained her own. "Ginny Love, don't fight me."

"I'm not," she whimpered, filled with fear of both Tom and Salazar and the Death Eaters closing in. "I want to let you have control, but I can't seem to let go," she said. "It's so empty. It's—" she struggled to explain the feeling to Tom, but he already understood.

_"It's like death," he said._

She nodded although he couldn't see her.

"_I'm here," he repeated slowly in her head. "I'm here,"_ _and she found herself clinging to him, even though with him came the pain of possession._

She remembered how it had happened before in the Chamber:

_Sparkles of fire and light invaded her until she was irrevocably his. There was nothing between them then but fear. She would have struggled, but there was no where to go. He pointed out to her that without him, she had no Parseltongue, and the basilisk would kill her. She had cried and pleaded but in the end, she had no choice. Ginny had melted into him then and let him take her, abandoning her own will in favor of his and she knew nothing until he demanded she participate in the spell that thrust Salazar from them. The magic was beyond her then, filling her with an animal panic that consumed every logical thought. _

_He knew she was afraid of him, but he didn't care. He knew she was afraid of the magic, but he didn't care. He knew he was hurting her, but he didn't care about that either. He still pushed her forward slowly, tightening around her will until it was his, until she was his. He simply didn't care that it hurt her. He didn't care that it frightened her. It frightened her then. It frightened her still. _

"I'm scared Tom."

"_Oh, Ginny Love. You're no longer eleven. You can do this—**We** can do this."_

Ginny took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Just do it, Tom. There's no other way."

_"No. You aren't going to blame this on me. Not this time." A flurry of emotion from Tom came with the memory: frustration and a dozen other garbled emotions. "It was different when you were eleven," Tom continued. "I couldn't expect you to participate. I had to do—what I did, but not now. I don't have to now."_

"What do you mean you _don't have to now?"_ she mentally shrieked. "There are Death Eaters at the door—He's at the door—Voldemort—_Salazar!"_

"_We do this together or not at all."_

"Tom! We will die. I will die. You will—will—" She broke off, horrified.

"_Together or not at all," he repeated calmly. "Where's your Gryffindor sense of adventure?"_

"Tom, please!" She felt the panic rising, overtaking her. She felt as if she couldn't breath, couldn't think. Hot tears were rolling down her face. "I should have been a Hufflepuff!" she muttered.

Again the sparkles of pain came, running under her skin over her entire body, she closed her eyes and let it happen, wanting to just melt away from it.

"_No," said Tom. "You're not participating. Reach for the magic. Remember in Quit when two people touch, it stops hurting? It becomes shared?"_

"It didn't stop hurting—before—" whispered Ginny. "In the Chamber—"

_"I know," whispered Tom. She felt the waves of guilt coming from somewhere deep within him, and yet, he was telling himself, telling her, that he was justified, even though she had been a child. There was no other way. She had been lost already. The question was not would she be possessed. It was would she be possessed by Salazar or by Tom. "I know," whispered Tom in her mind. "It's different now."_

She felt his sorrow to the depth of his soul, and yet he wouldn't have changed what had happened. What he meant was that he was different now, but was he really?

Ginny shuddered, feeling the constant prickling of his magic against hers, hot and insistent. "How is it different?"

"_I was hoping you would tell me," said Tom softly. _

"I can't touch you."

"_Yes, you can, Ginny Love. You just have to reach with your magic, not with your hands. It's more elusive, but possible. It's intentional magic. Feel your intent."_

"How?" said Ginny desperately, fighting against the prickling feeling of magic against her skin. "I don't know how to do this."

"_Intention," said Tom. "Stop fighting it! You have to want to—Wish it real—"_

"I do—I want to—" said Ginny, desperately thinking of the Death Eaters outside and the danger. The desire to escape was foremost in her mind, with it, threatened panic. A sob escaped her and she clenched the sleeve of her robe in her hand twisting it viciously.

_"Ginny Love," said Tom calmly, his voice rather hypnotic in her head. "Help me. Help us. Stop thinking about the Death Eaters and think of me! Think only of me. Close out every other thought. Reach for me. Your intention must be clear and uncluttered." The thoughts as they came to her were soft as a whispered breath. She could almost feel his cool fingers grasp her wrist—fingers touching her face with awe that she would agree to this. That she would say yes—again. Fingers of his magic were wrapping around everything she held dear, and she vacillated between fear and wonder._

_She could nearly see him, nearly touch him. She could feel the breath of his magic against her face. It was so fleeting. The taste of his magic was tantalizing, just out of her reach. She could almost smell it burning. Almost—_

_"Shut everything away from you but me. Think only of me, Ginny, and reach with your magic; reach with your soul."_

He and his magic seemed to exist across a great chasm of pain and fear and she couldn't breach it. She couldn't stop hearing the Death Eaters at the door. She couldn't stop thinking of the Chamber of Secrets. She wanted desperately for him to come to her, for him to just take her over as he had done before. "Just get it over with, Tom," she thought. "You come to me—possess me."

"_No. Not-This-Time." His thought was calm, impossibly calm in the turmoil of fear she had built. _

She felt as if he had been gently coaxing her closer to him for hours, but they didn't have hours. It could have only been moments.

_Her eyes met his intense green eyes in her mind, as green as _Avada_, she thought and yet she was still drawn by it. She felt his magic all around her searing and powerful and suddenly a sense of calm came over her too. The desire to_ _escape and the will to help each other took second place to the need to trust one another with their magic. He had done this for her, again and again and trust did not come easily to him. Not that he had a choice, said a small mutinous voice. He had trusted her. He had trusted her with his life when he chose her over Salazar in the Chamber. He trusted her when she went for her Dark Mark, but she had never trusted him. It was time to trust him, wasn't it? _

_His magic was a wild buzz of pain against her. She remembered it like this from the Chamber and she remembered it got worse—so much worse. She remembered him telling her to trust him then, and she had. She had said, yes, and the pain had exploded into an unbearable violation of her magic, her soul, herself, and she had vowed never to trust him again. Never. Never. There were a thousand reasons to deny his trust. But it didn't matter then, he was already in control of her body. He had hurt her. Tried to take her body for his own. Tried? No he didn't try; he **did** take it. That was then._

_What about now, she asked herself? Now, he had lived within her in some manner for the past four years, but always under her control; always tethered. Dare she release him even to save herself? Did she trust him now? Or was it something more that they shared? Now—was it different now? Was_**he**_ different? _

_In that blink of a moment, she knew her intention was to trust him with all she was. She did trust him, and the magic burst forth from her in a monumental blast as she flung herself across the chasm of fear into the warmth of his magic, melting into his will in an explosion of beauty and wonder that literally took her breath away—her breath, her feeling, her self. She did not even feel her hand close around Samara's, nor the Apparition that followed—once, twice, three times._

**>**

**Answers to Reviews:**

**A/N**: First of all, I want to let you know that I am updating even though I did not SEE 15 REVIEWS. Unfortunately, fanfic ate some of my reviews. They are still counted as 15, but I only have eleven, so if you reviewed the last chapter and remember what you wrote, or even if you don't, I'd appreciate a note saying what you thought. It's sad to lose the first 4 reviews. I've grown accustomed to the first few reviews being really insightful, and now I've missed them on a chapter I really wanted feedback on to be sure I didn't lose anyone so if you are confused by anything, let me know. I want to fix it. LL

DarkLordLongbottom: Draco leaving them all to die would be "funny"? All my readers seem to need some serious help…sigh…not that your author doesn't feel the same way. LOL

DraginLover :Thanks for re-reviewing. I'm sad I don't know what you said the first time though. I really wanted feedback on this chappie. Sigh.

Riddled-Slytherin Poor dear, reviewed twice with a hurt arm. Glad you liked the Snape and Volde part. I wasn't sure about it.

Alaxander thanks

Chernobyl : Please stop forgetting to review. I need you. Glad you enjoyed the Ginny/Tom. I agree if there were any Weasley's in Slytherin, it would be the twins or maybe Percy, he's pretty ambitious. I'm not terribly fond of the Marauders so I haven't given them much thought on how "Gryffindor" they are. I think you will begin to see some of the typically more Slytherin/Gryffindor behavior of the twins in my book shortly. I believe everyone has sort of a dominant personality and then a lot of traits of another. In the twins case, they were definitely Gryffindor/Slyths. Like Hermione is obviously Gryffindor/Ravenclaw, and Tom is Slytherin/Ravenclaw or maybe if he hadn't been the heir of Slytherin he would have been sorted Ravenclaw/Slytherin. Anyway, that's what I think.

akiel "WOW I JUST CAUGHT UP" So what have you been doing? So that's why you haven't been reviewing. Oh well, I hope you stay with us for a while.

Trillium

"I don't know if I'm more amused or freaked out by the Snape/Voldi scene." Thank you. That was a scene I was worried about. I'm glad someone addressed it.

Elbereth The kids really have been trying to move. They just have been thwarted at every turn. I mean they barely got there when the boys got abducted by the veelas. Then they had to deal with Narcissa and Valeriana. Yes, they want to move, but now the wards are back up, so they are stuck.

Kemenran You said: "I do hope that Snape would be able to leave the Castle, with the children." Everyone look, it's a review of record length for Kemenran. Congratulate her, but Dumbledore is not under polyjuice. That is what Snape wanted to prove when he used one of Dumbledore's hairs. I don't think a hair taken from a person under polyjuice would work properly. I think you would change to the real person, not the person you appear to be

Potter-gurl17: speechless? Cool.

Little Red Rabbit: thank you.

**A/N: And now, I know that awful cliffie must be bothering you, so go ahead and review and I will update soon. You know what it takes…15 reviews.**


	35. CH 35 Criminy

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness **

**By Lady Lestrange **

**Chapter 35**

**Criminy**

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.**

**--Lady Lestrange**

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.**

**15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews… **

**(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)**

**Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book.** Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way--or not-- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" And now, since the group has saved Neville, will they be able to save themselves.

**For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth **

**Chapter 35**

**Criminy**

SSSSSS

Harry startled when Ginny and Samara suddenly Apparated right next to him.

"Bloody hell," he breathed, looking up at Ginny. "When did you learn to do that?"

"_Tom!" Ginny shouted in his head. _

Tom ignored her. She did that often enough to him.

"_Tom!'_

Tom stood transfixed staring at the wand that he had just used to Apparate them. He had a wand in his hand. He just enjoyed the feel of it in his hand. He could feel the warmth of the wood and the power of the magic. The soaring power of the Pegasus wing feather within was different than his Phoenix, but still an air creature. He had never held a wand that was completely under his control since—what? First year—before the sorting. Yes, because after the sorting, he had to wrest control from Salazar every time he wanted to do a spell.

He had Apparated, not just himself, but another person with this wand. It felt wonderful. He looked at the group. He recognized Harry Potter right away and the girl with the bushy hair, Hermione. There was a Weasley in tattered, bloodied robes that someone had inexpertly mended. That was Ron and then the twin brothers, which would be Fred and George. There were two other boys, one was a Malfoy. The other he didn't know.

"Longbottom," supplied Ginny. "Neville Longbottom. Harry asked you when you learned to Apparate, Tom. I can't answer him. You have to—Keep your mind on the project."

"Uh—Quite a while ago, actually," Tom answered, turning to look at the girl he had Apparated. She was complaining with colorful metaphors and dramatic gestures, running on at the mouth as usual—_Samara_. He had never realized how beautiful she was.

"Why do people keep doing that to me," snapped Samara. "Would it have been too much bloody trouble to say you were going to Apparate? First, you are bloody freaking out with His threatening you in the Parseltongue and then you just—" Samara frowned, reaching her hand out toward Ginny's aura as she suddenly got quiet. "Gin?" she said softly.

"She's so pretty," noted Tom. "You didn't tell me she was pretty—" and as her magic touched his at the intersection of their auras, he reached out his hand to catch hers. "And her magic is—"

"_She's your niece, Tom. Don't be gross," snapped Ginny._

"I didn't turn into a dog and lick her face," whispered Tom.

"_Are you ever going to let that go?" asked Ginny. "You didn't say that out loud did you?"_

"No," laughed Tom, "probably not. Did I?"

"_Oh Merlin!"_

Tom was still gripping Samara's hand, magic crackling violently around their clasped hands. Tom closed his eyes, reveling in the nearly forgotten feeling of magic against skin.

Samara had twisted her hand out of Ginny's, looking at her strangely.

Suddenly raucous laughter rang into the corridor, echoing around them with a SonorousCharm. "If you are going to Apparate with a wand, my dear, you have to cover your tracks by backtracking better than that." Salazar laughed again. His voice echoed by a group of Death Eaters. "What a marvelous game," he said, the SonorousCharm still booming from some undisclosed place. "I haven't played Apparition tag for centuries. Come out, come out, wherever you are—"

"Idiot!" snapped Draco. "Don't you know you have to back track or they can follow the Apparition trail?"

"I did," snapped Tom right back, and Disapparated.

"_How could he follow us that quickly?" asked Ginny when they reached another floor._

Tom didn't answer, but Ginny got a sense of worry from him. Perhaps Salazar had a closer affinity because it was Tom's magic and not hers.

"He doesn't know it's you! Does he?" asked Ginny.

They Disapparated again, several times, doubling back and making a snarling mess of the signatures. "I don't think so," said Tom. "I'm using your wand. Harder lose him though, using a wand." They appeared briefly in the Beauxbatons' room and a group of Veelas and witches were tittering about the lost Muggles.

They looked up at Ginny curiously.

"Apparition Tag," Tom announced. "The Master says, 'Have fun, but don't kill anyone he needs.' The children are all Prey. The adults are Predators."

"Are the Muggles part of the game?" asked one of the Veelas as several others Disapparated with obvious glee.

"I think so," said Tom with a shrug. "Handicaps for those with better skills," Tom paused as if concerned for the girls. "Be careful," he said. "The Master has surprises for the winners and the losers." Without acknowledging the Veelas mixture of fear and excitement, he Disapparated, reappearing near the Gryffindors who had only moved the length of the corridor, and were arguing about whether or not to leave the forth floor. "Why are you still here? Run, you fools," snarled Tom

"Go! Go! Go!" Hermione was urging them. "Run! They're coming. We don't have time for conversation." The girl with the bushy hair shoved Ginny forward too, but Ginny didn't run.

"Don't touch me," Tom snarled and Hermione backed up, startled. Tom turned to Samara. "I'll meet you in the third guest room in the East wing—"

"Where?" muttered Ron.

Tom ignored him and continued to speak to Samara. "Where you played with the Elementals for the week you were comatose, Samara. It's right across from His chamber. Do you remember the room?"

Samara nodded.

"I'll meet you there." Ginny Disapparated again, making several more circles, and finally appearing in the corridor outside the dungeon.

_Ginny mentally shrieked. _

"Pipe down, would you?" said Tom. "I thought I saw someone I knew here earlier."

"_We had a hell of a time getting out," Ginny complained. "And I don't care who you want to meet up with, I am not going back in there!"_

"You forget who is in control of our body," Tom said. "But I'm not in any hurry to go back there either. I just wanted to see if I could get in close enough proximity to find her—through Legilimency—we should have enough of a connection—" Ginny could feel the smirk coming on her face.

"_Her?" squeaked Ginny, wondering how Tom got close enough to anything in that dungeon to have a 'connection'. It was certainly disconcerting. Ginny tried to shake her head and failed. She felt like she left part of herself about three Disapparitions back._

"Come now, don't be jealous," said Tom.

"_I am most certainly not jealous," snapped Ginny, trying to push all thoughts of sharing magic—and whatever else—with a vampire from her mind. The thought made her nauseous._

"Don't be crass," said Tom. "It's unbecoming. We worked closely at one time. I count her as the only friend who hasn't betrayed me, and I believe I can still contact her with the Legilimency." He hesitated. "You know that's possible with a bond of friendship only, provided the magic is compatible—like Pansy and Draco—but since vampires have mind powers too, it makes it easier. I just want to find her."

_It sounded too strange even in her mind, which was quintessentially Gryffindor. "You want to—um—rescue her?" Ginny shivered _

"No. No." said Tom. "She doesn't need rescuing. She's a vampire. She's quite capable of taking care of herself these past thousand years or so."

_Ginny choked. "Of course she's a vampire," thought Ginny. "That was most of what was in the dungeon—creatures."_

"Creatures!" sniffed Tom, insulted at Ginny's thought. "You remember Darla," said Tom exasperated. "Bookstore—Knockturn Alley. Now be still and quiet so that I can find her, unless you'd rather smash down this nice ward we made and go in and take a look."

"_No!"_

SSSS

A few moments later, Tom found Darla. She was happily feasting on dragon's blood with those she had sired.

_The thought instantly brought bile to the back of Ginny's throat although only it was only a mental image. She had no actual control over her body and couldn't retch if she wanted to. She could, however, feel sick._

"_Tom, can we get out of here," she begged, but he was insistent, ignoring her feelings of nausea._

"No," he answered sharply. "We need her help."

_Ginny tried to sink back into a pleasant memory as Tom spoke to Darla, but she was having trouble accessing any. Truth be told, she wanted to know what Tom thought he had to say to the vampire. At last Ginny just listened to the conversation. _

After they exchanged pleasantries, and Tom managed to get Darla to stop eating, Tom asked Darla to distract Salazar and especially the female Death Eaters."I've put the Veelas up to the males—"

In exchange, Tom promised to dismantle the ward that Ginny had put up earlier.

_Ginny felt panicky. "Tom, I don't think I like your dropping that ward. You'll turn the vampires loose on the castle."_

Tom snorted, unconcerned, and pulled the magic from beneath the ward. It collapsed like so much paper and the vampires streamed through. Ginny tried to cringe away, but none of them attacked her. Ginny had a moment's glimpse at Darla grinning at her, blood still collected between her teeth, before they Disapparated, returning once again to the Gryffindors..

SSSSSSSS

"Samara? Draco? Where are we supposed to go?" Lauren asked.

Draco hesitated, holding his wand in front of him.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" sneered Ron.

"If Death Eaters come through that door," he said succinctly, "You're the enemy."

"I told you Malfoy would betray us," said Ron

"He hasn't betrayed us yet," replied Samara as the threesome hurried along the corridor. "This way," said Samara.

Draco skidded to a halt as Ginny Apparated right in front of him. "Don't you check proximity before you Apparate, idiot Weasley?" he snarled, pushing past Ginny.

"Shut up, Malfoy, I didn't hit you," said Tom.

"Are you all right, Ginny?" said George.

"We could force feed Malfoy a couple of Weasley experiments," added Fred.

"Or just beat him to a pulp for you," added Ron.

"Dream on," said Draco, bits of fire dripping from his fingertips.

"I'm fine," Tom answered. "I think I lost them. After several Apparitions back to the Beaxbatons' wing—at the very least He should lose a few of the Death Eaters to the Veelas. Darla and her children should take care of at least some of the others." He frowned at the blonde boy. "So, you're a Malfoy," he said aloud, studying him with concentration. Did you ever tell me his first name, Ginny? He wondered.

"_Draco," Ginny replied._

"Yes, I am a Malfoy," agreed Draco. "Dra—co—Mal—foy—. You had it yesterday, Weasel. Keep working on it, and you'll be as smart as your brother there. " He gestured, dripping sparks.

_"Stop talking out loud, Tom. They can hear you muttering to yourself. You look stupid."_

"I never look stupid." Tom thought, and then aloud he said, "You'd better release some of that magic, Malfoy, before you go up in flames."

Draco looked down at his flame filled hands and giggled, but Samara grabbed his wrists and sucked some of the magic off just as a scream echoed through the air. She startled away from him.

Everyone jumped. "What the hell?" snapped Harry, startled, looking worriedly into the corridor where the scream came from.

"Vampire," said Tom. "Veelas generally don't upset their victims."

"Don't dawdle Potter," said Draco. "Get moving. My grandmother moves faster."

"Seeing who your grandmother is—" began Tom, but Neville interrupted.

"There are vampires here?"

Ginny grinned. "And Veelas and werewolves, as well as the odd giant or two—"

"Shut up, Gin," spat Ron. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Tom tensed in anger, but Ginny persuaded him to ignore her brother. He looked at the corridor, trying to get his bearings after flitting through the Beaubaxtons' wing. It was different when Ginny was in control of the body. He felt lost, but that could have been the buzz of Veela magic in his head, even though, since he was in a girl's body, none of the Veelas had directed their magic at him.

A shift in the power of the wards made Tom look up. "Uh—oh. I don't like that."

"Was that the wards?" asked Neville.

"I didn't feel anything." said Ron.

Draco frowned but said nothing.

"A strengthening spell or a re-adjustment," said Tom. "They want to make sure their prey doesn't escape."

"_But then," Ginny wondered, "if the wards are up, would they still be able to Apparate within the castle now?"_

"Don't know," said Tom. "I think they are more concerned about us getting out. They can be patient."

"I feel them," Neville continued. "What are we going to do? We won't be able to Apparate, or use the Portkey, even from one room to another." Beads of sweat broke out on Neville's face.

"Get a grip, Longbottom," snapped Draco. "Are you a Gryffindor or not?"

"We haven't been able to do that since we got here, Neville," said Hermione more calmly. "They just double checked for holes. Dumbledore will get them down," she said, and then a look of pure horror crossed her face as she realized what she had said. The shock of seeing Dumbledore's dead body washed over all of them again. "I mean the—Order," she said weakly. Her hand went to her mouth as she glanced quickly at Draco and then back to Harry, her wide eyes searching for reassurance from Harry.

"No one knows were here," said George softly.

"Only Snape," added Fred.

"Maybe I should just face Voldemort now," said Harry. He said nothing about the Order and neither did either of the Slytherins.

"Maybe you should," snarled Draco, pushing past Harry and pointing. "This corridor leads to the main Hall," said Draco, shoving the others in the opposite direction down a narrow corridor. "There's a fireplace—"

"The fireplace won't work," Ginny reminded Tom. "Remember, the only one open to the outside is in his private chamber?"

"I know—" Tom said to Ginny, and then aloud, "It won't work."

"Will you just shut up, Ginny!" snapped Ron.

"Why don't you!" Tom snapped back. **_"Mutus!"_**

_Ginny was divided between mirth and horror. "This really wasn't the best time to curse my brother, Tom. Please tell me you used your wand."_

"Oh—I forgot," thought Tom. "Wand. Right."

"_Shit."_

Shesha hissed under Harry's sleeve, just as the pop of an Apparition was heard. "Another comes," and Harry cursed, pushing the others against the wall. Harry quickly un-muted Ron and urged, "Use your niche spell again, Ron. They are on both sides of us."

"No," Visha corrected. "This one is a friend."

The basilisk hissed in greeting as Koschei slithered excitedly off of Harry's wrist and dropped to the floor, hissing, "Mistress!"

"Come on!" snapped Ron, but it was too late.

Maura ran from the opposite corridor around the bend and skidded to a halt, her eyes taking in the group as she brushed her damp hair out of her face. "All children?" she muttered.

"Good! You can help me, girl," said Draco, shoving Ron forward with the point of his wand.

"Draco!" warned Ginny.

"I've got it," said Tom, reaching forward to grasp Maura's hand. "Let us go," Tom urged, Ginny's eyes glazing over and staring hypnotically into Maura's eyes. "You have to run from the Predators."

"_Stop it, Tom," said Ginny. "Just tell her we have Koschei. She'll help us."_

Maura's eyes never left Ginny's as she seemed to realize they weren't just playing a game. "You were leaving?" asked Maura, she shook her head, breaking eye contact. "This—this wasn't a game—this was a rescue attempt!" Then Maura looked down in surprise and scooped up her snake. "Koschei!" she squealed, breaking the concentration momentarily, but Tom immediately re-established it.

"Yes," said Tom softly. "We have to get to His private chamber—your parents' room. It's the only floo out. Is there a short cut?" A crackle of magic left Ginny's body, flowing through her hand to Maura's.

"_Tom, what are you doing?" asked Ginny. "She'll help us without—"_

"Sh-h-h," Tom said aloud, addressing Ginny.

_"Don't talk to me out loud," hissed Ginny in his thoughts. "I can hear you!"_

"And I can hear you," thought Tom. "So shut up so I can do this spell!"

"_Not so easy carrying on two conversations at once is it," snapped Ginny, at the same time as Maura spoke._

"What?" Tom said aloud. "I'm afraid I didn't hear you, Maura."

"I said, 'You won't get by His wards, and the floo won't work without his spell.'" Maura looked from Ginny to Draco.

"Let me worry about that," said Tom, re-establishing eye contact.

"Are you out of your mind, Ginny!" snapped Ron. "You might be good at wards, but you're not _that_ good."

_"Out of my mind," Ginny thought "You could put it that way." Ginny couldn't help but laugh. Maybe it was hysterical laughter_.

Tom seemed to think Ron's comment was hilarious too, but thankfully he said nothing.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Weasel," said Draco, frowning.

"Wanna bet, Malfoy?" asked Tom. Ginny's eyes were now sparkling with mirth.

"Yeah, I would," said Draco, "except that when you lose, I doubt I will have a chance to spend my money."

Tom became serious once again as he addressed Maura. Tom now grasped both of Maura's hands and Ginny could feel the magic fairly leap through him to her, more powerful this time. "Maura?" Tom said questioningly

"Yes?" she answered, now completely under his spell.

"Maura," Tom said again. "You were just about to help us. You said there was a secret passage to your parents' room."

"She didn't say—" began Harry.

"There is," she said brightly. "I'll show you."

_"Tom," said Ginny warningly. "Don't you put her under Imperio! It's not necessary."_

Harry exchanged a glance with Draco, and his face creased into a frown as he followed the group at a jog.

_"Tom!"_

"Ginny. I didn't use the wand and I didn't say the word. No one will know."

"_I know!" shouted Ginny._

"This way," said Maura, taking them through a number of twisting narrow corridors. Finally she said, "I should leave you here—it's not far now. Just follow this corridor to its end and you will remember."

"And if anyone's coming, you can lead them away," Tom said.

"Yes," she agreed. "I'll tell the Master you went the other way."

"_Tom, she's a little girl. She shouldn't be doing this. She should be playing, not—not—"_

Suddenly, Maura shoved away from Tom. "Ginny!" she growled. "I thought we were friends! I know that spell! Lucius taught me—You tried to—to—"

"_Apologize," snarled Ginny. "Hurry Tom. Apologize **now!** We're friends! Tell her we are desperate and you forgot yourself."_

"I'm sorry," Tom blurted. "I abused your friendship. But truthfully, it is safer for you if He thinks you did not help us of your own free will."

Maura nodded seriously and then hugged Ginny, whispering as she squeezed her friend. "I'll tell Him you went the other way, Virginia. Get out of here." She paused a moment. "I'll miss you."

"But he'll know," said Harry Potter. "You can't lie to Voldemort! He's a Legilimens. He'll hurt you," protested Harry. "Don't put yourself in danger."

"I'm not in danger," said Maura blithely. "He won't know I'm lying. I'm only twelve, and anyway, you put me under_ Imperio_." Her eyes narrowed. "He took all of my parents' things and threw them aside so he could take their room. He took it. He commandeered my house—mine—_and_ changed all the passwords to Parseltongue." She hugged Ginny suddenly, and then Harry, thanking him for returning Koschei with a quick kiss on the cheek. Cuddling her snake, she winked at the group and, throwing up a fire filled hand, she Disapparated.

Hermione sucked in her breath. "Didn'tshe say she was twelve?"

"She can Apparate," Ron said, looking at the spot where she had been.

"Well, at least we know we still can Apparate inside the castle," said Harry. "A lot of good that does us."

Tom was still reeling with the feelings of Maura's arms around him. He knew that she had only hugged Ginny and only as a friend, but it had been so long since he had felt the touch of another witch or wizard that he couldn't keep his concentration. Salazar had always, _always_, explored the thoughts of whomever touched him. It was hard _not_ to use the Legilimency talent. The probing was automatic. He considered what he had learned from the brief contact. He had felt the warmth of her body and her magic and the tension of all the others around him suddenly escalated as he realized they were addressing him. He yanked himself back to the present as he realized that Ginny was screaming at him.

"_Tom! We have to go! Move this body of ours. We need to reset the ward on this floor and run. You are faster than any of the others."_

Tom didn't even think of his wand. He raised his hands and set the ward with near miraculous speed. "That should slow down Salazar and his Death Eaters," he said as he gestured to the _Notice-Me-Not _ward that he had just made to protect their floor.

Draco reached for his wand.

"Forget it Malfoy," said Tom coolly, fire crackling in his hands as he faced Draco. "We don't have time to duel." Tom winked. "Maybe later. Anyway, you'd lose and you don't want to be lying unconscious in this corridor when the Death Eaters come."

"Who in the bloody hell are you?" snapped Draco.

"Leave my sister alone," said Ron, stepping forward.

"That's not your sister, Weasel," said Draco. "She can't do a ward like that and I know _Imperio_ when I see it. This person reeks of Dark Magic. I know you see it, Samara. How'd you do it? Polyjuice?"

"We'll discuss it later," said Tom politely. "I know a short cut to his private chambers. Follow me." When they hesitated he said, "You _do_ want to get out of here, don't you, Malfoy?"

None of them could argue with that, and they began to hurry after him.

"I want to know how you know a short cut," muttered Lauren as they ran.

"I want my sister," said Ron, pulling his wand, but holding it uncertainly before him as he hurried along the corridor. He wasn't ready to trust Malfoy, but Ginny setting that ward was just weird and he wondered what she did to Maura. "We're not leaving without my sister," he insisted.

"It's her," said Samara as Tom paused along an unmarked corridor and hissed, "(_Open)_" to the secret passageway. The wall moved itself into an arch and Tom stepped through.

"What?" Harry and Neville both had their wands trained between Malfoy and Ginny.

"It is Ginny," said Samara.

"You don't know that," said Draco. "Polyjuice."

"Auras!" interrupted Samara. "And no one else can speak Parseltongue. I tell you it is Ginny, and she's probably the only chance we have to break His ward."

"But how does she know the Imperius Curse?" uttered Hermione. "And without a word—without a _wand!"_

"You're taking Malfoy's word again, Hermione," said Ron.

"In fact," Hermione continued. "Nice as it is, how did she know that ward—wandlessly?"

Samara's eyes were on Ginny, as if begging her to understand, asking her in advance to forgive her for sharing her darkest secret. "Because," said Samara, "Ginny was possessed in first year, and that _person_ never left her."

"What!" Suddenly, every wand was trained on Ginny.

"**_Expelliarmus!"_** snapped Harry, and Tom clasped his hand around his wand, feeling the heat blister his hand as Harry fought him for it, but he was rather practiced in this battle and he had no intention of letting go. With his opposite hand he reached for the Elementals, using wind to push Harry away from him. Ginny was screaming at him. The Muggle girls scattered frightened, and Tom very gently let the wind die down. No one moved.

"Criminy," said Tom.

**Answers to Reviews**

**HAPPY CHIRSTMAS **

Elbereth Glad you enjoyed. Actually, they have been trying to leave, and I hoped you enjoyed the latest "amazing and weird feats".

DraginLover You were a little confused on as to what the once twice and three times means? I hope you understood in this chapter, that Tom realized that one Apparition would easily be followed. I don't think Hermione ever "liked" Samara, but Hermione is essentially a good person and that is what I wanted to show. I'm glad you think I did that.

Little Red Rabbit

More Tom/Ginny to come.

Riddled-Slytherin

Everybody loves the Ginny/Tom interaction See you folks were all complaining I didn't have enough Tom/Ginny before. Is this making up for the previous lack? I hope so.

Alaxander The plot builds! Actually the plot is pretty well built. Not too much left to do you know.

Sayuri-Kikio

I love getting beautiful reviews like yours. Not just because it's glowing, but because you read straight through and saw the flow of things that just doesn't happen when you read a chapter at a time. It's neat that you anticipated the Apparition Tag.

Lirael

I think you understand now what the third apparition was--Tom being careful and coving his magical signature. BTW, I love the Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen series….Don't you think Garth Nix should write a new one soon with the new "Power"?

Trillium rolling on floor? Cool.

LifeIsOrange So sorry about the cliffies, but there will probably be a few of them until the end. Lots of action kind of does that. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and don't cry all your tears yet…

Kemenran Ginny getting possessed? Well not exactly. And Voldie is busy, or gonna be.

Tiamat Warcraft

Thanks to your parents. Hope you got your sleep schedule straightened out.

kaili Hope your finals have gone well and you are ready for a read now…

Mistrunner Glad you liked the ending. How about the ending of this one? LOL

Silverfox1 Growls back I wanted to see your review. Oh well, I did read your comments on group and wish others would put some comments there too. Sigh. You doubt Harry has any clue that he insulted Draco and you are probably right. You said: While Ginny is trying to let Tom take her over she shows obvious outward signs of distress, but Samara doesn't seem to react to them in any way. That's true, mainly because if she reacted it would take away from the conversation between Ginny and Tom where I wanted the focus to be. I changed a few lines in the beginning of this chapter to show that Samara was indeed concerned about her friend and you also said, "If Voldemort can recognise Tom's magic, if Tom tries to get into his mind, won't he be able to recognise his apparition signature as well?!" Again, your astute review helped me to deal with that in this chapter. You are right, Voldie should recognize the signature. That is why I made sure that I had Tom use Ginny's wand even though he obviously could have apparated them wandlessly.

WesleyPeppers Samara's brothers are home safely in their muggle house because Voldie thinks Samara is a relation of a senile aunt of Draco's instead of who she really is. So Voldie doesn't know about Samara's family…luckily.

Pardon

You asked: Will you be a twisted little syltherin and let Tom subtly play puppet master again or will you give him a softer side? (do not think to judge Tom solely on what you have seen here. More to come.) Will Ginny revel in the feeling of the connection or will revulsion or even guilt come over her? (I don't think Ginny even knows that yet.) And what of Salazar? Does he sense the connection and on the same level samara?(He doesn't see auras so no, not like Samara, although he has other talents.)

Jager So sorry I missed your update. Damn, fanfiction. Thank you for this one.

Chernobyl

That was an evil cliffie, wasn't it. Well, as you see, not relief is in sight. Review soon. I guess you understand how the Ginny/Tom match works now. She can see if she chooses to. She can't control her body at this time. I will echo your comment: "and this one took entirely too long. People need to review faster!"

As far as Dumbledore being dead, there really hasn't been time for Volde to take advantage. They haven't been at the Snow Castle for days, you know, just a couple of hours. Will he take advantage? Well, what do you think? It's not still Christmas break. It's January. January 17th as a matter of fact. Remember when Draco stayed with Samara instead of taking the Hogwart's Express back to Hogwarts? He complained about Ginny being there, And then he had to Apparate to the Forbidden Forest and walk up. Losing track is what happens sometimes when you read it one chapter at a time in fanfic. It's a hazard of fanfic-dom.

cronenus

Hope your dad is feeling lots better by Christmas. I think Tom will have a little trouble giving back control now that he has it. You know how those Slyths are…No they are still two people.

**15 Reviews gets the next chapter.**


	36. CH 36 Branded As Evil

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness **

**By Lady Lestrange **

**Chapter 36**

Branded as Evil 

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun.

15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point:** Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way--or not-- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

**Chapter 36**

**Branded as Evil**

**SSSS**

They were safe for the moment. Since they had walked rather than apparating, they were hopeful that Voldemort and his minions had not followed. According to Ginny, they weren't far from Voldemort's private chambers. She walked along the corridor as if she owned the place, hissing in parseltongue at various sections of wall and they opened immediately as if she were Voldemort himself, only she called him Salazar with such certainty that it made Harry's blood run cold. She spoke as if he were an intimate acquaintance. It made all of them wary. She held herself differently, as if she expected to be in charge. It was unnerving. Harry wondered if she acted this way first year.

Harry jumped every time he heard the pop of a distant Apparition and there seemed to be a lot of them. Ginny however didn't seem to notice the sounds of the vampires feeding, which quite frankly was making Harry extremely nervous. If Harry was nervous, Neville was panic sticken, and Draco was clinging to Samara, but Harry was uncertain who was caring for whom in that couple.

"Relax. They won't come here," Ginny said with exasperation She was completely ignoring the sounds of the vampires feeding as well as the screams of their victims. Fred and George had moved up on both sides of Ginny, flanking her with brotherly concern and even wrapped their arms around her as if to comfort her. She stiffened, but didn't push them off. She didn't look like she needed them either. She was utterly sure of herself, and yet she didn't tell the twins to shove off.

Harry didn't think Ginny was fooled though. The twins were frightened of her. Weren't they all, thought Harry. She was an enigmatic combination of power and innocence.

Ginny looked rather pale and tired, but of course, Harry reminded himself, this wasn't really Ginny. He wasn't quite sure what had happened to her. He didn't know if he should believe Samara. Did she mean that literally? _The memory of Tom Riddle hadn't left her._ He didn't think so. After all Ginny had appeared normal since first year. He had talked to her over the summers when he stayed at the burrow. She wasn't going around petrifying people anymore or killing roosters. The diary was destroyed and with it the Memory of Tom Riddle. He had to believe that. Surely if there were some problem, Dumbledore would have found it by now. Of course Dumbledore wouldn't find anything now. The thought of Dumbledore's death hit him like a super-spelled bludger. Although he had accused Dumbledore of manipulating things for the benefit of what he saw as the cause of Light, Harry could no longer accuse the man of anything. He was dead. The thought left a hollowness inside of him when he thought of it. So he resolved not to think of it until they were safely away.

"Ginny!" demanded Ron.

Harry knew his friend well enough to know that even though his voice was angry, what he was really feeling was fear. He had grown so close to Ginny since the Chamber of Secrets incident. Now, to think that he wasn't close at all, was appalling to him. He was hurt and confused and needing answers, but answers were not forthcoming.

"Are you--still---my sister?" Ron croaked.

Ginny stopped and looked at Ron, no not at Ron, though Ron, as if she were far away in another world altogether and Ron wasn't even part of it.

**SSSS**

"Ginny?" Ron repeated.

_"Tell him you are Ginny. Tell him to ask you something only I would know," urged Ginny._

"I'm here, Ron," said Tom sincerely. "Ask me anything, if you don't believe I'm Ginny. I'll answer any of your questions."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Harry.

"Could it be because I just saved this little group of holier than thou Gryffindors?" said Tom.

"_No. no. no." moaned Ginny. "That didn't work! Tom you have to listen to me."_

"Ginny?" said Hermione. "You _are_ a Gryffindor."

Draco burst into laughter. Well, that just proves you aren't always right, Granger."

"What are you on about, Malfoy?" said Ron.

Another of the vampire induced screams pierced the air.

"Nevermind. We can't stand in the hallway," protested Draco. "Someone--or some thing could come along at any minute."

As if she were summoned by his words, Carman stopped at the other end of the corridor. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" she cooed. "Could this be the little group of kiddies the Master misplaced?"

**"Crucio**!" snapped Tom, and his spell shattered Carman's hastily conjured _testudo_ as if it was not there at all. He stalked towards Carman with a long stride, his right hand holding the spell and with the left, he drew up a rush of wind pushed the others out of his way. He released the spell on Carman and growled. "You used me, you callous bitch. You ruined my life. All I can do is kill you. It's really a pity it will be over so quickly."

For a moment he felt Ginny in his mind trying to dissuade him from continuing. Angry sparkles of magic flowed through him for a second, and he sucked in his breath with pain, but he shook off the strange feeling.

Carman looked at him with wide eyes. She was panting for breath. "Your magic," she whispered. "You can't be—"

"Ah, but I am," said Tom.

The annoyance of a spell whipped by him, but he warded _impedimenta_, over his shoulder, and the spell shattered. Who dared to try to stop him?

"Tom?" Carman squeaked.

"Ah—So you do recognize me, do you?" he spat. "Then you know exactly what you are being punished for. What you will die for--"

"No—"

"No, what?" asked Tom. "You don't want to play with the Mudblood? No you don't want to be seen with me? Or no you don't want to die." Water dripped from his hands like sweat and Carman gurgled as he spat, "**Crucio!** Are you having fun with the little Mudblood yet, Carman?" he asked. Her eyes were narrowed with hate, and he could hear her grinding her teeth together to keep from screaming, but he saw her as she was 53 Years ago, her white blonde hair around her face like a halo. "Tom," she whispered, her voice laced with pain. "I won't tell anyone you were here. I won't tell—"

"You mean you won't tell, Salazar? Like you didn't tell anyone I wasn't a pureblood! I doubt that," he spat, and she cringed. **Crucio**!

The spell blew her against the wall and as he held the _crucio_, he remembered:

"I won't tell anyone—" The words transported him back to the time when she discovered his most closely held secret: the secret that he had managed to hide from all of Slytherin house, that his father was a Muggle, but of course she already knew the truth. His dad was not a Muggle. His father was a Squib of Salazar's line and his mother was a witch whore for the cult that wanted to resurrect the bastard. His mother—His own mother--

_"So your dad was a Muggle," Carman had said pityingly, knowing full well that he wasn't. "I know I shouldn't be friends with you," Carman had said, winding her arms around his neck and her magic around his heart. "But, Tom, I can't be without you. I can't. I don't care what your lineage is—I don't care what my parents say—promise me, we'll be together, Tom." He remembered kissing the hot tears from her cheeks, sharing magic-- _

He released the _crucio _and looked at her. She was shaking and tears were streaming down her face.

For a moment he felt Ginny's emotion and thought that she was crying too, but he couldn't listen to her now. Instead he dragged Carman to her feet.

"You knew from the beginning, Carman. You sold me out to Salazar. You never wanted me. It was Salazar you wanted. Tell me. Was he worth it?

"Yes!" she hissed, still sobbing from the pain of the _crucio_, she stumbled, but managed to gather magic to her hands. "You can't be—you are a child—Virginia—"

He laughed at her, a cold hard laugh that held no humor as he held her in thrall. "What do you think I am then? A figment of your imagination? The embodiment of your guilty conscience? Tell me, are you happy now, Carman?" he spat. "Are you the Lady of Dark Magic? Or does that title belong to one of your daughters? To Samara? To—Ginny? To the _next generation and the next and the next? _Has he offered you immortality, with him. Carman? Has he shared anything of his power with you? Has he?" yelled Tom, shaking her. "Is your fabricated Dark Lord everything you wanted him to be?"

"Yes!" Carman shouted in his face, gathering handfuls of fire.

He shoved her aside. 'Liar!" He raised his hands for the spell, also gathering fire.

"Stop, please stop," Ginny begged him, and when he ignored her, she changed her tack. "Water! Water! Use water, not fire." And he very definitely felt her try to pull the water Elemental through his body. The burning stinging of a thousand hungry bees seemed to assault his skin as he fought Ginny for control of the spell.

**SSSS**

Carman cringed away, curling into a ball and trying to avoid his wrath. "Why?" she sobbed. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Tom spat, the fire of the _curcio_ hot in his hand, warring with Ginny's water.

"Don't fight me, Ginny Love," he thought, but he didn't have time to listen to her answer.

Someone again had tried to stop him with a spell. He felt the power of it and a swift jolt of energy. He warded _testudo_ without even looking at them and reached down, grasping Carman's forearm. A smirk crossed his face as he realized that he could use a magic that Ginny could not interfere with. He pushed his finger against Carman's Dark Mark, and felt the power of her essence leap from her to him as the Mark began to burn with her magic flowing through it to him. He hadn't been sure that he could activate it alone. It was his creation, but it was Salazar who had perfected it; Salazar who had burned the brand into her flesh. By the time the Dark Mark was created, he had been in no condition to opposed Salazar, and apparently Salazar had no longer considered him a threat. He wasn't blocked from the Mark. Tom laughed aloud. He hadn't expected it to work so well for him. He could taste the bitterness of Salazar's magic within her, but mostly it was hers. "Remember, Carman, when you gave your magic to me freely?" he asked, as he reveled in the pure power pulled from her.

"It was never free," she croaked through the pain.

"No. Perhaps not. Not for either of us," he said coldly, and tightened his grip till the Mark burned black, holding it until Carman began to scream in earnest. Finally someone dove at him in a flurry of red hair he fell, losing his footing and the spell at the same time.

"Tom?" Carman croaked, and lost consciousness.

**SSSS**

The arms holding Tom were too strong. "I'm not finished," he roared, trying to beat off the gang of redheads that had attacked him. It was like the orphanage all over again. The bigger boys always picking on him, holding his arms, but he learned to fight dirty and he was a match for them, even before he knew he was a wizard. He elbowed one hard in the gut and when his arm was released, he turned, punching the other red head in the face. He felt the satisfying crack of bone beneath his knuckles, but as his fist connected, someone else joined the fray. They fell against a door and it opened into a stair well. He was suddenly immersed in a memory.

_A part of himself tried to stay in the present, but he had spent the last fifty four years living as a memory, with no body to control. The dizzying feeling of Carman's magic through the Dark Mark and the three wandless crucio spells he cast were all separating him from reality. It was very easy for him to slip into a memory._

**SSSS**

He blinked and he was at Hogwarts, fifty some years ago.. He had thought it would be different this time. He was a wizard, but they hated him anyway. He was a Mudblood, and they knew. He must keep them quiet. It must look like an accident. No magic in the halls. His fists and feet were sufficient. He didn't need a wand to hurt them. The Slytherins had once again cornered him, teasing him, and he edged closer to the stairs. Merlin knew, they had shoved him down the moving steps more than once. This time, the prats were going with him. As the Slyth pushed, Tom latched onto the prat's neck. He couldn't save himself, but the bastard screamed rather satisfyingly as he realized he couldn't save himself either. He was tumbling over and over. He felt his shoulder crack as it hit the marble floor and then, his hand was on Slytherin boy's face. He felt the weight of the earth in his hands, pushing the boy under, burying him. Tom began slowly and methodically cracking what bones hadn't been broken in the fall. A couple of Gryffs had pulled him off--twisting his arm roughly-while another had laughed. "Let the bloody Slytherins fight. Maybe they'll kill each other off."-

_Dippit had called him to the office the next day. "Tom, do you realize what spell you did yesterday," he asked. _

_Tom shrugged._

_"It's called crucio," said Dippit. "It's a hate spell, Tom. There is no reason for it other than hurting someone. It's illegal, and I don't want to put this on your record. I'm going out on a limb here Tom, since you are only twelve. You must never do this spell again, Never, or I won't be able to save you. You will go to prison._

_Crucio! Thought Tom. He had learned that the spell was easier if you said the word._

**SSSS**

With a dull thud Tom landed against the floor in the Snow Castle and the blow brought him back to reality. He had broken enough bones to know that nothing of his was broken, but it still hurt and it interrupted his concentration. Someone stroked his hair, but he jerked away.

He heard Ginny yelling at him. "Stop Tom," screamed Ginny. "You are going to kill her. You aren't a killer. I know you aren't."

The boiling, pure rage inside of him frightened Ginny. He could feel her fear.

"How can you grant her mercy, Ginny? You know what she did. What they all did. Don't you remember what Frank Longbottom said? **"**There was a secret cult, In integrum restituere, Antonin Dolohov told him, before he died". They killed my mother. Tell me. Let me see the truth of your thoughts, Ginny--if it were your mother--if it were Molly Weasley--what would you do?

He felt the flash of pure anger course through her before she gathered her thoughts to speak to him. "I would not seek vengeance. I wouldn't. I understand your hurt, but Tom, this isn't the way."

Tom's anger tightened even more... Deny all you want Ginny, but when we first found out, you were right with me. You wanted them dead, just as I did. You can't lie to me, so hang your righteous Gryffindor justice. You know she deserves to die.

His emotions distilled down to a single thought _death_: revenge upon those who ruined his life. Painful, horrible death. Die you worthless bastards! My Deatheaters. My friends. How could they? Various types of _crucio_ that Ginny didn't even know existed coursed through her mind. So fast. So brutal. Then slowing to a torturous crawl, and she felt an alien flash of rightness in the death of someone so evil. Betrayal is punishable only by death.

"Not so alien as you would have others believe, Ginny Love."

_She cringed. His calling her Ginny Love when he was speaking of such an ugly subject seemed almost sacrilegious. _Tom? She thought. Such intense hatred she had not felt since Salazar was warded out, since Tom first found out about the cult, but this was Tom. Her Tom!

_She felt as ragged and raw as Voldemort's hands, her body unable to contain his hatred. Like a unicorn wand casting Avada, she felt the searing alienness of his thoughts like she hadn't felt them for a long time. The pain of his friends' betrayal ate into her soul._

_"I-want-them-all-dead,_" thought Tom, but his thoughts encompassed so much more than death. He wanted them to suffer like he had suffered. More than he had suffered. Give them back tenfold. His intent was a hot, writhing cancer consuming them both. _Carman is only the first._

"I want her dead," he growled aloud, trying to struggle out of the grasps of Ginny's brothers, but Ginny's body was too weak and he was only focused on the _crucios_ He had no energy left to fight them. "I have four more_ crucios _before I let her die," he shouted. "She deserves to die. She ruined my life. She killed my mother! They killed her in the worst possible way with _In immolo relinqui pectoris_ and she deserves no better."

All movement around him stopped.

To his horror he realized that tears were rolling steadily down Ginny's cheeks. His chest was heaving with exertion and he was shaking all over, fire magic still streaming from his fingertips. His knuckles were bloody and sore. It was then he realized that Ginny's body wasn't up to doing this much magic or physical fighting. He sat panting, held down by Ginny's brothers and let the magic crackle around them. He felt dizzy and disoriented. It took him a moment before he placed the sensation. He was drunk on Elemental Magic. Ginny's body couldn't handle the power of initiating the Dark Mark. Ginny?

At last he heard Ginny's tearful pleas. a tingling of magic went through his skin, but it didn't belong to him. Again the magic came, piercing his skin like knives and he finally understood what it was—Ginny. It was Ginny trying to regain control of the body.

"Not yet," he told her.

_In a burst of furious magic, she tried again with a stronger intent._. "Oh—Ow!" He sucked in his breath against the pain. "That hurts!" he told Ginny, angrily, and her brothers loosened their hold somewhat in reaction to his words.

_"No shit," she snapped. "Not that you cared when I was on the receiving end. Give me back my body."_

"When we are out," he promised, and exhausted and furious, she complied for the moment.

"Ginny?" said Ron, touching the tears on Tom's face. "Ginny?"

Tom closed his eyes. What could he say to them? He wasn't Ginny. These weren't his brothers. He had no family. He had never had the need to deal with family. He looked around at them all: bruised and bloodied by his hand. Harry and Hermione both had retreated, but both still held their wands on him, Shesha peering curiously from Harry's robe sleeve. One of the Weasley twins, was holding his arm, and looked like he had taken a bludger to the face. The other was vomiting in the corner. Samara was trying to heal him and clean him up at the same time. Draco Malfoy was with her, but his eyes were on Tom. Draco reached up once to push his blowing strands of hair out of his steely gray eyes, but his gaze never wavered. Lauren stood beside him, silent and still.

Neville was the first to speak to him. He came in front of him, braving the fire still streaming from his hands. "I will help you," he said softly. "But not now. Now the girls are the priority."

Tom looked at the round faced boy. There was a determination there that startled him.

"You agree with me?" Tom was dumbfounded. This was a Gryffindor, and not just any Gryffindor. This was a Longbottom.

"Some people deserve it," Neville said with conviction. "Justice will be done, but now isn't the time."

Tom looked at the outstretched hand that Neville was holding in front of him. Neville Longbottom!

"Do you know who I am?" asked Tom, thinking the boy had to be making a mistake.

"Yes." The hand outstretched still hadn't moved.

"And you will still help me?"

"Yes," Said Neville. "The same people took my parents from me."

A strange expression crossed Ginny's face, contorting her features into a smirk that had never graced her lips as Tom grasped Neville's hand firmly, thinking I have my first follower, and it is not who I had expected.

"Binding wizarding promise," continued Neville as he pulled Tom to his feet and supported Ginny's body in a gentlemanly gesture, that completely undid Tom. "I swear on my Gryffindor honor, I will help you. I will see justice done." Said Neville.

"Justice, my ass," thought Tom. "It's revenge this boy wants." Out loud he said, "Don't get too full of yourself Longbottom. You're starting to sound just like your gag me Gryffindor Grandfather."

"Really?" said the boy and he sounded almost pleased.

"You have control of the body, Tom," spat Ginny. "You can gag if you want to. I know I'd like to."

He paused, but no one spoke. "Gryffs, too stupid to spot an insult," he said to Ginny and only then he realized the depth of her upset.

"_I thought you were really going to kill her Tom. _

"I was."

_"You would go to Azkaban, and my brothers. You hit my brothers."_

"Don't tell me you never wanted to hit them, Ginny Love. I know your thoughts on the matter. You wrote it all in the diary long before I had the ability to look for myself."

_"I love them!" she shouted in his mind and he was inundated with her feelings of remorse. A steady stream of memories of her brothers and the burrow came flooding through him like a tidal wave. He tried desperately to shut it out as Ron patted his back with a comforting gesture, but he felt Visha move at his neck, hissing a warning to the gathered Gryffindors. They were plotting. He felt it as surely as he felt the lies in the air._

No one spoke for a long while.

**SSSS**

Harry was too startled to move when Ginny had first crucioed Carman, but he overcame his lethargy pretty quickly when she started in on the second _crucio. _He knew how hard it was to cast _crucio _according to the books that he had read on the subject. It was a spell completely propelled by hatred, the sole intention of the spell, to cause pain. He threw a _stupefy_ spell, which bounced off of Ginny's _impedimenta_ like it was no more than an annoying insect. She never even lost the concentration of the _crucio_. The entire episode happened so fast, he didn't even see Hermione raise her wand until the_ confundus _charm was thrown. It should have caused Ginny to falter, but she warded _testudo_, against it, and Harry wondered what sort of Dark Arts she had been learning at the Snow Castle. As if to answer his unasked question with the Darkest of the Dark Arts, Ginny wrapped her hand around Carman's forearm. At first Harry didn't understand what she had done. What could she possibly have done to cause Carman such anguish? When Carman's shrieks rose in volume and intensity and wild eyed, she called Ginny, _Tom_, he finally understood with an awful clarity. Ginny—no not Ginny—Tom Riddle had somehow activated Carman's Dark Mark, and that meant, whatever she was, she couldn't possibly be Ginny. A wave of pure horror washed over him, a feeling of such terror that he had not felt the like since Cedric Diggory lay dead at his feet. "Ginny—" he croaked, backing away from her, unwilling to give her up to death and unable to befriend her.

In desperation, the twins had launched themselves at her, attempting to restrain her physically, since they could not combat her magically, but she elbowed Fred in the stomach with amazing ferocity and immediately punched George in the face. He started to bleed from the nose or the mouth or both. The twins were momentarily incapacitated, but Ron shushed Ginny, stroking her hair and trying to comfort her. She stiffened and ignored his embrace. A moment later she shuddered like something was hurting her—_magic_— Harry realized she hadn't released the Elemental magic and it was streaming from her in hot crackling sparks. She began to cry, and he immediately thought that she had thrown off the insanity that possessed her. He took a step forward, but then she spoke angrily through the tears and he realized they were tears of frustration, not tears of pain. Her eyes flashed as she spat in a low vicious voice,

"I want her dead! I have four more crucios before I let her die," she shouted. "She deserves to die. She ruined my life. She killed my mother! They killed my mother in the worst possible way, with _In immolo relinqui pectoris_--- and she deserves no better." Ginny struggled against Ron and George's renewed hold on her. "Gin! Ginny!" Ron soothed holding her stiff body in his embrace, but when she spoke, even he grew still.

Harry looked at Samara who had retreated to the corner and was trying to help Fred who was clutching his stomach and retching. Draco was beside her, but watching Ginny with wand drawn. Harry realized he hadn't put his own wand away and neither had Hermione or Neville. Neville and Melisande were standing closest to him and Harry heard her whisper, "She seems very—masculine. I might be able to control her. If she attacks again, I'm going to sing. You deafen yourself and then the other boys, Neville."

Neville nodded sagely.

"Oh—OW!" Ginny cried out and Ron and George released her. She didn't move from them.

Melisande took a step forward, but Neville caught her hand and she didn't sing. It seemed as if everyone was frozen, unable to act against their friend, but unable to trust her either.

"So whose aura is it, Samara?" whispered Draco in a rough voice. "Can she alert Voldemort to where we are?"

Harry felt his blood run cold as Samara whispered her answer, too softly for him to hear, but she was shaking her head. Of all of them though, Samara was Ginny's friend. Harry wondered, would she tell the truth? And to what lengths would she go to protect her friend? What was he saying? This was Ginny: his best mate's sister. Ron would never forgive him, if he went against her. Never.

Draco leaned his head close to Samara nuzzling her neck as she worked on Fred. He spoke in soft tones, that Harry couldn't immediately hear. Prat! Harry thought. Just like Draco—as if he had time to snog Samara right now. Draco moved his hand up to Samara's neck, lacing his fingers through the loose hair that had escaped her bun and pulling her close. Harry wished he knew what the others were planning. They needed to make a concerted effort if they were going to subdue Ginny--if they needed to subdue Ginny.

As if she understood his thought, Shesha moved from his wrist to his neck with such speed that if he hadn't felt the swift movement of scales against his skin, he would have guessed that she apparated there, and then she was hissing in his ear, Draco's words, to Samara if he was not mistaken: "(I will speak,)" said Shesha, as introduction, "(Since master blocks the mindspeak.)"

What? Thought Harry. "He was blocking the basilisks' messages? Harry didn't know that he was doing that. Maybe it was the occlumency wards he was trying to hold while at the Snow Castle. He debated whether he should let them drop or not, whether or not the advantage of the basilisks' thought was worth the risk of Voldemort's legilmency. Perhaps he should lessen the occlumency wards at least when Voldemort wasn't closeby.

Shesha began to speak. "(Watching her. Watching the bitemate as if she were sisshauss.)" and suddenly Samara's thoughts slid through Salacia to Shesha and into his own with the cool efficiency of a snake seeking refuge in a favored spot. _The one called Dragon is ready to attack, to disable, not kill, but we must escape, and if it means killing her we must do it. _

_No. No. Shesha rejected the thought, even as it came through her consciousness from Samara. Cannot kill a bitemate. _

"What if the bitemate would bring death to us all, to the other bitemates?" Samara wondered and Harry saw Draco's influence in the words. "Then what?" Samara wondered, but Harry was relieved to realize that even though the basilisks seemed undecided on the topic, Samara immediately rejected the idea of killing, and they followed her direction.

It was something Shesha could not fathom, and she was upset by the thought. Harry closed his mind to all but Shesha, and he soothed her with the thought that there would be no killing.

Draco's eyes never left Ginny. "(I am watching her,)" Shesha said in parseltongue, and Harry didn't know if Shesha meant she was watching Ginny or Draco was watching her. Perhaps they both were. Several of Samara's basilisks silently slid from her body to Draco's. All of the basilisks grew agitated at Draco's intentions and Visha rose up at Ginny's neck, hissing threateningly at them all."(You cannot kill a bitemate,)" she said with distain.

"(We can and we will if you betray us, Visha and Mistress of the double magic,)" said Cush."(Master says, 'kill those who betray us.' Make them sisshausss.)"

"(Yes,)" added Salacia."(Mistress says, bond to one another. Preserve one another. Who fails the bitemates, will be part of our power.)"

"(We have not failed you,)" Visha countered haughtily. "(We are not betrayers. Did we not bring you out of the danger that your own Mistress perceived.)"

"Yes," Salacia agreed, and they all knew she was speaking of the Apparitions which took Samara and the basilisks out of danger.

"(I didn't understand that danger,)" Tacita added, but Salacia silenced her with a soft hiss. "(There is much you do not understand. You only need to know to protect and defend the bitemates as Mistress has spoken.)"

Visha continued, "(See, the Mistress of double magic has defended her bitemate. Did she not bring you all to safety? She has only shifted her magic to the other. I am the same creature with eyes open or eyes closed, but the wizards say, always eyes closed, and we smell their fear. The wizards do not sense the magic as basilisks do, and they are frightened by the change in Mistress of the double magic. Calm your master and mistress. Tell them nothing has changed. All is as it should be.)"

"(Be that as it may,)" said Shesha, "(But your life or death is in your own care. Betrayal will be swiftly dealt with.)"

The basilisks all seemed to agree with Shesha, even Visha, but Harry interrupted.

"(There will be no killing,)" he told Shesha again, and he stepped forward, looking carefully at Ginny. Her red hair was plastered to her face with sweat and the tiny new hairs had formed little ringlets at her temples. He wanted to say something to her, but he reminded himself, this wasn't really Ginny. "We have to _obliviate _Carman. She'll tell Voldemort," Harry said into the silence.

**SSSS**

"Not if she's dead," said Tom reasonably.

"Allow me," said Neville, who raised his wand. "**Obliviate!"**

Tom was going to argue that Neville's spell was not sufficient, when Ginny said, "I don't know Tom. I can't imagine Neville was terribly concerned about the perameters of that spell. Carman may not remember how to tie her shoes.

"We need to find that floo," Samara said softly.

"And get the bloody hell out of here," added Draco. He stopped and turned to face Ginny asking directly, "Will He—He know you activated her Dark Mark?"

"What happened here, was between me and Carman," said Tom, looking significantly at the Gryffindors who tried to interfere, and then he turned back to Draco. "You know Salazar has the power to call you individually." Tom smirked, and tried to contain the fire in his hands. "As long as she doesn't tell, I won't," he said.

**SSSS**

**Answers to Reviewers:**

**Silverfox:**Yes, Tom did leave his calling card in the eyes of the Gryffs with him, but remember he is using Ginny's wand, which is why he is having such a rough time. Don't be too hard on him. Remember the mess that Ron made with a wand that was not his. Tom is much more comfortable with wandless, as we see in this chapter, but he hasn't apparated wandlessly, so Voldie really has no reason to notice him. As far as Samara is concerned, and her Hufflepuff persona, I agree that it is still there, but she has been living among a pretty "Slytherin" group lately, and like a camerlieon, she is changing to fit the environment.

**cronenus **What Tom really does with control of the body you will have to wait to see.

**Tiamat Warcraft **Glad to have you back. You asked: 'Could Tom see what Ginny saw or did he just hear what she heard? because why did he say "You must be Malfoy" maybe you said something in the first book, but I can't remember it.

Tom has a sense through magic of what Ginny feels/knows while he is in the back of her mind, as Ginny is with Tom now. He could not actually see Malfoy, but he knew the others because Ginny was close to them. Obviously, Ginny has never daydreamed about Malfoy like so many fanfic writers think she has. Hehehe.Why would she? She has Tom. Anyway, that is why Tom senses who the Gryffindors are, but for example never realized Samara was pretty. This wasn't a priority in Ginny's mind--the part that Tom "sensed" through magic. He never had any control over any part of her body except in the First year stuff and now.

**DarkLordLongbottom** one question how come Neville feels the wards. Did you read my first Seers Truth book? Neville and wards and the only coherent words from his mother in St. Mungos are mentioned there. Plus if you remember Neville managed to get the Gryffindor Common Room open when they were locked in it last book. Just reminding my readers of some of Neville's talents.

**Potter-gurl17** Glad you are impressed. Hope this chappie meets your approval.

**Sayuri-Kikio** It's so much easier to understand a story when you read it straight through. You said: "Ironic that he is always telling Ginny she is stupid, yet now that he has the control he makes it completely obvious Ginny isn't being herself." He doesn't care if they know. He figures none of these Gryffindors will kill Ginny.

**Trillium**"You said," Tom is really doin a number, cursing Gin's brother, setting up wards, and now, everyone knows their little secret. Yep. Everyone knows, especially now.

**cronenus** You said: " I had a thought, I know its not like me but the spell that dumbledore and snape used could it be used to get tom out of ginny and in to say a body that a dementer has kissed?' Ewww. Yuk.

**kittybro** 2004- obsessed ? cool

**Kemenran**More is on it's way

**Jager** I just love the way you keep saying, "This is the best chapter ever" I guess I'm building suspense and doing something right.

**kaili**As you see, Tom isn't that anxious to give control back over to Ginny.

**Wormtail **You said, "Tom's incharge now :) poor Ginny!" I love that half of my readers are saying poor Ginny and the other half is saying poor Tom LOL

**DraginLover**You said, "Tom is in trouble now,"Much, much more Tom/Ginny to come.

**Little Red Rabbit**Glad you liked

**Chernobyl **If you thought the last chapter was wild, what do you think of this one. Smirks. He wasn't even obnoxious and ignorant yet. Now, he's obnoxious and ignorant. Anyway, don't you think he's more equipped to deal with whatever they come across? Tom certainly thinks so, and he never said exactly when he was going to give back control. Not exactly. Oh, and how come the, what, 20? apparitions in this chapter didn't tire them out? It was 12 or a few over, and it tire them out. You will see soon, plus did you notice how many times Draco apparated with Samara when they were playing tag last time? Spells like the unforgiveables can only be cast by the normal wizard approximately four or five in a row without becoming exhausted, but I never said that about apparitions. Of course, Tom isn't exactly your average wizard and Ginny isn't your average witch either. Since it isnt' Darla's story, I'm not going into exactly how she ended up in Salazar's dungeon, but if you remember, a while ago, Fudge said they were collecting "creatures". They already had the veelas from way back at Durmstrang. At that time, and several other times creatures were mentioned including vampires which were used when Salazar was studying death.

**Elbereth **Ginny can still amaze them with awesome feats. Give her some credit.

**And now, it's time for you to review.**

15 reviews gets the next chapter. I don't know if I should count these mini reviews--the ones that say. "Update please. Write more." Much as I like even those, I'm having trouble keeping up with you guys. Most of the story is written, but it does need some fine tuning. Be patient with me. I want to do my best for you. I will try to get the next chapter up with 15 reviews as promised. In the meantime, go read my other fics or go discuss this one on group. I love to hear your comments.--Lady Lestrange


	37. CH 37 Doors and Dreams Unlocked

**The Seers Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Doors and Dreams Unlocked**

**Chapter 37**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

--Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Ennui de Morte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point:** Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way--or not-- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

**Chapter 37**

Ginny was walking purposefully ahead and by some unspoken rule, the group had divided up sentry duty. Fred and George were flanking her now, and the others had dropped back to talk in hushed tones. The Muggles were following respectfully behind.

"Ginny can't possibly be trusted," said Hermione.

"She's my sister," hissed Ron.

'That is not your sister," Draco whispered.

For once, Harry had to agree with Malfoy. "But if there is any hope for Ginny," Harry added, "we have to take it."

"Ginny is there," Samara assured them.

"I don't believe it," said Melisande. "Did you see her _Crucios?_ No one has that much power except the Dark Lord. I don't want to trade one captivity for another."

"You don't know her," hissed Ron, frowning at Melisande's comment.

"She isn't –You-Know-Who," said Neville. "Even this—Tom—I think we should give him--her a chance—"

"What?" snapped Hermione. "What are you saying Neville?"

"I don't know. I just don't think it's You Know Who. It's just—do you remember how Ginny freaked out when she learned about Salazar possessing him—"

"Salazar!" interrupted Draco, shocked that the Gryffindors knew anything about what was supposed to be one of the most sheltered Slytherin secrets.

"It's just a—feeling," whispered Neville. "We can't just give up on her."

Harry looked at Neville. He remembered Madam Pomfrey saying that if he hadn't been subjected to Valeriana's memory curse, he probably would have been a Seer, but now wasn't exactly the time to start having—feelings—like Frank Longbottom had had the night that they were tortured—feelings—like baby Neville had had that same night. _No_, thought Harry, _he wasn't going to trust Neville's feelings, but he also wasn't going to give up on Ginny._

"I have no intention of giving up on her," said Harry miserably, "but the truth of the matter is: she _activated_ the Dark Mark. We all have to face the fact that she has been at the Snow Castle for nearly a month now. Anything could have happened to her."

"This didn't happen at the Snow Castle," Draco muttered, "and you know it Potter."

Harry nodded, but didn't mention the diary or the Chamber. He felt overwhelmed. He no longer knew who was friend and who was foe. He knew everyone was looking to him for guidance and he just didn't know what to do. He wasn't Dumbledore, for Merlin's sake! The very thought of Dumbledore brought memories of the man laying dead at Voldemort's feet.

"We have to trust one another," said Samara. "It's the only way we are going to get out of here. It's the whole prophecy of bringing together the houses. Look at the group we have here—

"Trust?" said Lauren incredulously.

"That's right," said Samara.

"I agree," Neville added and Draco looked at him searchingly.

"She's still my sister," said Ron hopelessly, and Hermione put her arm around him.

"Oh Ron—" she said softly.

Harry stopped. They had come to the end of the corridor. Beyond this door lay Voldemort's private chambers and the floo to freedom if they could get into the room.

The Muggles began chattering in their own language.

Tom turned to them speaking sharply. "If you lot can quit your conspiring long enough to notice, perhaps you can watch for unanticipated visitors."

"Visitors?" said Neville.

"Death Eaters," Tom clarified dryly.

They all looked at the locked door of Voldemort's private chambers. Three stone snakes guarded it, but unlike the stone of the Chamber, they did not move aside when Tom laid Ginny's hands on the door and hissed, " Recognize your master.>"

The snakes stirred, but the door didn't open. Tom ran Ginny's wand around the perimeter of the door, but the door still didn't open.

"Ginny, you can't think you can actually open this," said Ron.

"Don't interrupt her. Let her finish," said Samara.

Tom frowned in concentration. "Yes, let her finish," said Tom, turning back to the ward.

_"Tom, don't talk about me in third person," said Ginny. "You'll have them hexing you."_

"They won't hex you, Ginny," Tom said silently. "They're Gryffindors."

When several minutes passed, and Tom did not get the ward open, Draco spoke. "Can you sense anything around it, Samara?"

"I know Samara shattered the wards at Hogwarts," said Hermione. "But you Draco—"

"No," said Tom. "Salazar broke Hogwarts wards with his summons."

"You mean Voldemort," Harry clarified, but Tom kept talking to Hermione.

"Samara merely kept Snape from being ripped apart by the magical backlash of power. Tell them Samara. You are an empath: skilled in healing and building not breaking."

"He's right," said Samara. "Draco and I might have the power together, but not the control or the knowledge."

"But I just thought—" said Hermione.

"Think? No one asked you to think," interrupted Tom. "You're a Gryffindor. You might hurt something." Tom rolled his eyes.

Hermione clenched her fists and her face flushed with anger.

"He's a Founder of the school for Merlin's sake," Tom continued without acknowledging Hermione's reaction. "Did you really think that Hogwarts' wards do not recognize his magic?" Without taking a breath, Tom held out his hand behind him. "Harry, give me your wand," he said without looking at Harry.

"No bloody way, Riddle," said Harry in a terse voice.

Tom stopped and turned, sizing up this little hero that had defeated the great Voldemort. "Harry," said Tom softly. "If I can borrow Ginny's body, surely I can borrow your wand."

"No," said Harry.

_"Tom," suggested Ginny, "Talk to him. He needs to believe I am here too. He's had too many experiences with Voldemort to trust you."_

"Oh, don't worry. I've always been able to charm the people I need," thought Tom.

"I don't know, Tom—" 

Tom frowned. "Let me explain this to you, Harry, in a manner than you can understand, and then perhaps you can stop the plotting behind my back." He smiled grimly. "You have forgotten Visha is mine, bonded to this body and loyal beyond all reason to me. Whatever you, Harry, or Samara thinks is automatically transferred to your own familiars and therefore to Visha. I am not so stupid as to ignore such a useful gift. I have not cursed your sorry ass because Ginny fancies herself in love with you, Harry. My opinion, you aren't good enough for her."

"I-- " began Harry, but Tom continued undaunted.

"You never were good enough for her, but you two can debate that at your leisure after we escape from Salazar's fortress."

_"That wasn't what I meant," hissed Ginny silently._

"What!" snapped Draco.

Tom smirked at Draco's outrage. "Yes, Draco, but I was not the one to give the mighty secret of Salazar's resurrection to the Gryffindors. In fact, it was Longbottom who told me. My possession by Salazar was not some horrible accident. It was a planned event, an event that each and every one of those responsible will come to loath their part in, but as Longbottom so graciously pointed out, now is not the time, and believe me, I want to take my time with the lot of them."

Tom's mind quickly ran through several curses that made Ginny want to retch, but he continued calmly, ignoring her.

"Right now, we need to escape and find the emerald that Salazar thinks is his. To do that, Harry, I need your wand." He paused, hand extended toward Harry but Harry said nothing, so Tom sighed and continued.

"You see, my magic is particularly like this Lord Voldemort fellow's, but not exactly. That is only the name that Salazar has given the two of us together. Your wand is particularly like mine, the wand that he is sometimes forced to use. Perhaps the combination of similar wand and magic may allow us to open this door and floo out of here." Tom pulled Ginny's wand from his pocket and turned it butt first to Harry. "A gesture of good faith," he said. "You can hold Ginny's wand on me the whole time I'm working. Is that satisfactory?"

Harry still said nothing.

"Bloody hell, it's not like I'm Salazar!" spat Tom, loosing his patience.

"You _Crucioed_ a person a few minutes ago and wanted to kill her," said Harry dryly. "You activated the Dark Mark."

"Carman deserved it and one of your own agrees with me," said Tom gesturing to Neville. "Look, I'm trying my damnedest to get us out of here. Have a little faith."

"I don't see a lot of difference between you and Voldemort," said Harry. "You both obviously enjoy killing and torturing and you take what isn't yours." He glanced at Ginny.

_Tom took a step towards Harry and Ginny screamed in his head. "Tom! No!"_

Harry's wand was instantly out, pointed at Ginny, and Tom stopped but didn't seem overly concerned. He didn't even bother to reverse the direction of his own wand in his hand. His voice was soft and melodious. "I don't think you would use that, looking into your best friend's sister's face. Neither does she. She trusts you, you know."

"Harry," said George. "You-Know-Who would not have given me a busted nose and a split lip. He would have killed me. I believe Ginny has some control yet."

Tom didn't contradict him.

Harry looked at the wand in Tom's hand for a moment and without letting go of his own wand, he finally reached out and took Ginny's wand from Tom's hand.

"See, that wasn't so bad," said Tom, holding out his hand for Harry's wand.

Still Harry hesitated.

"You know," Tom said, "I don't think that Ginny ever got up the nerve to properly thank you for your assistance in the Chamber of Secrets. Of course, in my opinion, that last minute rescue didn't even begin to make up for your inexcusable actions earlier in the year."

"What?" said Harry. "I didn't do anything—"

"Exactly," said Tom dryly, and bored with negotiation, he turned and looked directly into Harry's eyes.

Immediately, Harry redirected his eyes to Tom's chest and Tom smiled._ "Too late," Tom said, his voice smooth as hot syrup in his mind. It was unnerving and uncomfortable to have alien thoughts oozing into his head, but Tom was not hurting him. It occurred to Harry that Tom was being exceptionally gentle._

_"Yes, he is," agreed another voice that Harry recognized as Ginny. _

_Harry leaped forward and grasped Tom's lapels, but Tom's invasion into his mind did not stop. Ginny, however, seemed to sink away from him. The control with which Tom perused the outer layers of Harry's mind was impeccable. It was obvious that Tom could have hurt him if he wanted to, and Harry felt his own Occlumency wards tighten in reaction and fear._

_"Where's Ginny?" he demand aloud._

_"Too late for you to make demands," repeated Tom in Harry's head. "Too late for you to avert your eyes from mine and too late for you to decide you want Ginny now. She's mine." _Tom paused, listening to Harry's pitiful thoughts of rescuing Ginny from him once before. Harry's outrage of being told that he wasn't good enough, by Tom, Ginny's captor and would be murderer, made him clench and try to shut Tom out. _"If I had wanted to hurt you, Harry, you would have been screaming by now. You know how easy it would be. And you know I am not lying to you. Tut, tut," Tom admonished. "You can't shut the Occlumency wards now, Harry. It's too late. I should know. I spent five years trying to shut the wards in my own mind to thrust Salazar out. Well, probably more than that, after all I only have memories to my sixteen-year-old self. Of course, Salazar was never so gentle as this." _

There was another moment as the warm oozing stickiness seemed to drip into the private places in Harry's mind and then Tom withdrew, and spoke aloud. "I don't need to hurt you, Harry. You know that now, don't you, and you know if you hurt this body, you hurt Ginny. I don't want that to happen, and neither do you. We are on the same side. You make a better friend than an enemy." Tom paused, and smirked, again holding his hand out for Harry's wand. "Your wand," he said, and then continued. "A bit of advice: _Never_ look a Legilimens in the eye, and never allow them to touch your bare skin. Your pathways to the Elementals are awfully tempting which by the way, is the only way you could have pushed me out."

"Elementals?" repeated Harry.

"But Ginny isn't—" said Ron.

Tom just smiled at them, that damned superior smile.

With a grudging trust, Harry placed his wand in Tom Riddle's hand.

"Good boy," said Tom as if he were talking to a dog.

"Harry!" said Hermione jumping forward and grabbing the wand. "What are you doing? You can't just give him your wand! That's crazy!"

"In case you haven't noticed, Hermione, we've exhausted all the sane methods of getting the hell out of here," Harry snapped.

"Hey, mate," said Ron. "She's just being cautious."

"We don't have the time to be cautious," growled Harry. He rubbed a hand over his face and then looked at Ginny. "I don't know who to believe any more," he muttered. "I almost thought I could trust Professor Snape. He's a snarky arse, but he taught us. He really taught us, and he said to be here at a specific time and then he shows up with Dumbledore's dead body and gives it to fucking Voldemort!" Harry railed. "The madman whose been trying to kill me all of my life Voldemort. Voldemort was always Tom Riddle in my mind," Harry said, calming himself a bit. "I always thought of him as Tom Riddle. He was just a wizard, not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or the Dark Lord—Just Lord of _Nothing_!" Harry shouted.

"I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of calling him that hyped up Lord Voldemort. I didn't want to give him any more power than he already had and then I find out, he already has more power. More power than I can hope to combat. He's Salazar Slytherin himself." Harry covered his face and muttered into his hands. "… and I keep thinking, why? Why does he want me dead? Why this whole prophecy? But before I figure out that riddle, another one shows up in the form a Prophecy Child that he wants more than me, and to protect her, I find myself allied with Draco Malfoy of all people, and..." He turned his eyes to Draco. "…and I trust him, and I trust Ginny too. I felt her when—I felt her presence—with him." Harry's eyes went back to Tom, the flash of green in Harry's eyes, hard and determined.

"I guess I just realized that if Parseltongue opened that door to the floo, I'd use it. Or if some other power that bastard gave me in this scar opened that door, I'd use it, or if there were some dark spell using one of your Dark Marks…I'd use it if we could. We should use him," Harry said in a furious whisper. "If Ginny can help us do that…If some knowledge or…or presence she brought from the Chamber of Secrets can do that for us, then I don't give a damn who is in Ginny's body. _If_ we get back to Hogwarts, we can worry about it then." Harry slapped his wand into Tom's hand, his eyes intense. Ginny was smirking at him. It made him shudder. "But if you betray us," said Harry…he paused, leaving the line dangling, wondering if he suddenly knew what it would take to bring him to kill someone.

Tom said nothing about Harry's little speech. Harry was right. They had no time.

Tom turned and ran the wand around the perimeter of the doorway. It glowed with a green light, and Tom smiled. "Now let's see if we can ascertain what we are dealing with. Elements: animal, vegetable, mineral, ether; Runes. That's easy." Tom began naming bizarre combinations of things: "Types of clouds, the Corners of the world. Ah yes, there's the Elementals, I expected that one." Suddenly, Tom began to laugh, "That sly devil. What a scoundrel! This isn't his. It's Helga's."

_"What is it?"_ _asked Ginny in his head _and Samara echoed the thought to his face.

"Hogwarts' goals," said Tom aloud. "Courage, wisdom, love, ambition." He took his hand from the wall. "I can't do this alone," he said. "Helga's influence."

_"I can help you, Tom," thought Ginny. "We have to be able to do this. There's no other way out."_

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"Helga did everything in groups. If Salazar doesn't open this himself then it needs a group loyal to him to do it."

"Then we are finished," said Ron.

"What does it need?" asked Hermione, throwing a glance at Harry. "Do we have any of the parts?"

"Well, one way to open it would be with four speakers of Parseltongue," said Tom.

"That would be all of us, together," said Samara.

"Yes, that's pretty much what he was looking for—all the Parselmouths"

"We have three," said Harry. "What about—you and Ginny?"

"No," said Tom. "We have only one voice."

"Well, I doubt Voldemort is going to volunteer to be our forth," said Samara. "Any other possibilities?"

"I've never seen something quite like this. It's based on Salazar's line, pureblood and family and—relationship."

_"Why don't you just say love, Tom," said Ginny. "That's what it is, isn't it?"_

"Well, we have four Weasleys," said Fred. "We're related. Will that help?"

"Helping is not what we need," said Tom. "What we need is powerful, intentional shared magic."

"We can try, can't we?" snapped Hermione. "It isn't doing any good to just stand here and look at it."

_"Do you want me to do this Tom?" said Ginny gently. "I know you aren't used to trusting anyone."_

"I trusted you, didn't I?" said Tom

_"That's different."_

"I can do it."

_"I'm sure you can," said Ginny. "I was just hoping to get my body back. You did promise."_

"When we are out of here," said Tom. "If we are surprised by Death Eaters, I'm faster and you know it."

_"And you would kill someone."_

"You say that like it's a fault," said Tom.

_"It is Tom."_

"Not if they are trying to kill you."

"Tom—" 

"This conversation is ended."

_"You can't mute me! Ha!" snapped Ginny, and although he did his best to ignore her, she kept chattering on, adding her suggestions about the ward._

"Anything else you need?" asked Harry.

"Yeah. A good dose of Gryffindor Luck." Tom paused. "Someone could see us doing this. One of you needs to stand guard.

"How about an illusion?" suggested Hermione. "Disillusionment charm?"

"Good," said Tom. "Can you take care of that?"

Hermione nodded. "I won't let anyone see what we are doing here. It's not like they'd ever guess we're here anyway."

"Good," said Tom. "Neville, Lauren, Harry and Draco, why don't all of you help Hermione with the illusion," Tom said, trying to shoo them all away from him and the Weasleys. Then he paused. "Samara, you stay clear. I'm quite certain this door is hex protected as well as warded. We might need your help. You others, go!"

"Wait a minute," said Harry. "I think I'd rather watch you."

"Okay," said Tom, giving in graciously. He had gotten rid of most of the gawkers. "This is a strong ward. We're going to see how close the Weasley family really is."

"Voldemort has never been up against four Weasleys," said Fred, nodding at his twin.

"Wouldn't this work better if Ginny is in control of her own body?" asked Ron hopefully.

"No," said Tom. "I need to control this spell. It's beyond Ginny."

_"Is not," Ginny said._

"It is!" he spat aloud. "Do you want to be unconscious again? You have to keep a tighter control on the magic than you are used to."

They all stared at him. He clenched his fists in displeasure. He had not meant to say that aloud. It took some practice to keep his conversation with Ginny silent. He wondered how Ginny managed it.

"Are you talking to—Ginny?" asked Ron, giving voice to the confusion that filled all of them.

Tom sighed. "Yes. We have a difference of opinion," Tom admitted.

"I want to know what my sister has to say," said George tightly.

"If she's really there," said Fred.

"She is," Harry confirmed and they all looked at him with confusion. "She is," he repeated.

Tom took a deep breath, and shook his head. "She's worried about you—her brothers. I think we have the best chance of breaking it, together. Familial bonds are strong. We just don't know if they are strong enough. She wants to take the risk herself and keep you out of danger. Typical Gryffindor."

_"You liar!" Ginny spat and she attempted to take back her body. Tom seemed to expect it, and didn't react at all to the flash of pain. "Damn you. Why did you say that?" demanded Ginny. "Why did you lie?"_

"Did you expect me to tell them I wouldn't let you have your body back? Think, Ginny."

_"You keep telling me that I can't think, now you want me to take up the pastime!?" She attempted to take over her body again, but Tom just grimaced._

Tom kept his face expressionless as he spoke to Ginny, saying, "You know you are not able to do this. My magic is more compatible with Voldemort's and you know it. If you try to open this ward, you will kill all of us, but I don't want to have to try to explain all that to the Gryffindors. Use your head. You know this is the only way."

Samara asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to help?"

"No, Samara. I want you to stay back—far back," Tom continued aloud, answering Samara's questions and ignoring Ginny's seething. "We will need your empathic healing abilities when we are done. We know what the ward is, but not what hexes he has in it. My guess is at least one of us is going to come out of this looking pretty nasty." He paused. "Or worse."

"Worse?" echoed Neville.

"Voldemort could have set it to kill any unauthorized intruders," said Draco. "In fact I think he would do exactly that."

Samara shook her head. "He wouldn't want to miss their demise. Anyway, some ambitious Death Eater might try to unravel the ward to impress Him. I think they'll just be set to maim, not kill."

"You're the one who sees His aura," said Draco. "You might be right about them being set to maim instead of kill, but I'm not sure which would be preferable."

_"Tom," said Ginny gently. "I think you need Samara. Your magic is almost as drained as mine after that little fiasco with Carman. _

"It wasn't a fiasco," snapped Tom. "I told you before, Ginny, we will hunt them down and kill them. We will kill them like the vermin they are. I won't let them go unpunished."

"That's not for you to say, Tom" 

"Then who's going to say it—who's going to do it?"

_"If we don't get out of here, it's isn't going to happen at all, is it?" Ginny asked. "Samara can help you—help us"_

"I know the gifts of an empath," said Tom harshly.

_"You need her help," Ginny insisted._

"I don't," said Tom stubbornly.

_"Stop being such a bloody prat—You know, you can't lie to me," said Ginny. "You're exhausted."_

He stood staring at the ward. _It was so intricate, so powerful. _A flash of fear pulsed through him. _We may all die here,_ he thought. _I made them believe I could do this, but—_

_"But you can't. Not alone. You've already exhausted yourself," said Ginny. "So ask Samara for help."_

"No. I don't need her help," said Tom as the contingent of Muggle women began to get anxious and thus louder in their nervousness. Tom frowned at them.

"Do try to keep your Muggles quiet," snapped Draco, but the sound grew.

"They are people, Draco," said Harry. "They're afraid."

Tom solved the problem in the most expedient manner he could think of. He transfigured the lot of them into a handful of pebbles. "There you go, Harry. Neat, quiet and unobtrusive."

Harry stared at them.

"Put them in your pocket," said Tom as he turned back to the ward. "You do want to take them with you, don't you?"

Draco burst out laughing as Harry scrambled on the floor, picking up the pebbles, but Draco cleared his throat nervously as the Gryffindors glared at him.

"You have to admit, they are quieter, that way," said Lauren. "And they are not afraid anymore."

"They're people!" Hermione objected. "You can't just turn them into stones." She looked horror struck at Ginny,

"It doesn't solve the problem of getting this door open," said Neville.

"No, it doesn't," agreed Tom.

_"Tom, you have to ask Samara for help. Stop being stubborn. It's the only way."_

"No. I am not asking Samara for help. Samara needs to stay safe. It's almost guaranteed that one of us is going to get hexed. I have a better idea, Ginny Love"

_"What?"_

The answer came first without words. It came with only a sense of intimacy and a slight smirk. "You and I. We are much stronger together than either of us alone. You know our shared magic is strong. It warded out Salazar once before—"

_"Tom?" She paused gathering her wits. 'Did she want to do this? Would she get her body back now to do this?'_

"No," Tom answered her unasked question. "_I_ will control the spell."

"But we have the twins," thought Ginny. "Twin magic is stronger—" 

"No--it isn't," Tom interrupted. "Not stronger than ours—"

"Ginny?" Samara's hand was on her shoulder. "Are you ready to begin? We don't know how long we have. We should hurry."

"This can't be hurried," Tom said sharply, pushing Samara away, and focusing his attention on Ginny.

_"Tom, a sibling or blood shared spell is strong, twin magic is stronger. The only thing stronger is magic shared by a bonded pair—I'm not—I won't—Samara and Draco—"_

"No, no, no," said Tom. "You are related by blood to the twins and Ron. Only you can form the forth corner, not Samara and Draco, because they are not of Weasley blood, but Ginny, we can do a strong shared spell. It only needs to be consensually shared magic. We need your connection to your brothers and my strength in this spell. You can do this—"

_"You're doing it again," Ginny complained. "Just like first year. You are trying to get me to say, 'Yes'."_

"Of course I'm trying to get you to say 'Yes' you stupid girl, I'm trying to get us out of here!"

_"No," snapped Ginny. "The answer is no."_

"No, you won't share magic with me?" said Tom with equal parts amazement and annoyance. "You won't share a spell? It's fine for me to share your body, day after day, night after night, but you won't share a simple spell to get us out of here. How ridiculous is that?"

"I never said it was fine for you to share my body," Ginny snapped. "Never!" 

"Yes you did!"

_"I was eleven, and you tricked me."_

"You were twelve, and I didn't trick you a few minutes ago, when I Apparated us and Samara. You shared that bloody spell of your own free will. It was perfectly clear what your intent was. Why is this different?"

_"Because—I—" She hesitated, trying to keep her thoughts from him wondering herself, why she felt ill at ease. "My brothers," she whispered. "My brothers will be involved in this spell. I don't want them to know."_

"You shouldn't feel like you should have to hide me from your family."

"Uh—Gin," said Ron, turning her face to look at his.

Ginny noticed that his ears were red, and the expression on his face was somewhere between horror and disbelief. "Ginny," he said again. "Cat's out of the caldron, already."

_"Oh Merlin!" muttered Ginny. "How much of that did we say aloud? Tom you aren't supposed to let that happen. Everyone's going to think I'm nuts. Tom! Dementors damn you! How much did they hear?"_

Tom didn't answer, but Ginny knew he was smirking. She could feel his self-satisfied arrogance. Ginny could tell he had planned what to say aloud. It wasn't a mistake. It was deliberate.

"Enough," said Neville softly.

_Ginny was seething with anger. She knew a blush would be coloring her face if she were in control of her body, but she didn't know how her body was reacting under Tom's control. She tried to be very nonchalant as she asked, "Just what did they hear?"_

"So how much did you hear?" Tom repeated dutifully.

None of the Gryffindors would meet her eyes.

At last Lauren said, "Something about 'sharing your body, day after day, night after night, but you won't share a simple spell—'" Her lips twitched trying to suppress her laughter, but the Gryffindors were totally sober.

_Ginny gasped and wanted to Disapparate on the spot, she was so embarrassed. "Oh Merlin," she thought, and her anger evaporated into hurt, as she continued. "Tom, how could you? I trusted you."_

"Well, that was stupid," thought Tom, automatically pushing her away.

_And for once Ginny agreed. "Yes, it was stupid," she spat. "Are you even going to give me back my body?" she wondered, the hurt pouring through her._

Tom tried to hide his thoughts from her. _Probably I will have to._ "Yes, of course," he answered.

"We aren't everyone, Ginny," said Hermione quietly. "We're your friends."

"At least we know you are still there, Ginny," said Harry uncomfortably.

_Ginny felt Tom's eyes appraising Harry. "It's Harry," she realized suddenly. "You manipulative bastard! You said that for his benefit, about—about—sharing magic and—and—you're jealous," she realized, all of her anger and hurt melting away as she sensed Tom's insecurity. "Oh Tom, it was just a silly little girl's crush. I'm over Harry. You know that. If you look at my thoughts you know I'm over him."_

"And dog boy?" said Tom referring to Edward.

"He was never anything but—fun—" 

"Fun?" questioned Tom.

_"Well, adventure, I guess."_

Tom shuddered. "Must be a Gryffindor thing," he thought. "Not to be scared—"

_"I was," thought Ginny, and then she realized that Tom was practically paralyzed with fear of trying to open this ward. In his mind fear was to be avoided, not faced. _

"I can't do this without you," he thought. "And even then, it's dangerous. There's no way to anticipate the hexes. If one of your brothers die, you will never forgive me. And within the spell, your brothers will know we are—are sharing magic. It could distract them, and they cannot be distracted—or they will surely be hurt."

_"Then tell them," Ginny thought. She looked at the twins. "Do you think I should—we should—use shared magic," she wondered, and Tom repeated her words verbatim._

"Merlin, Ginny!" said Fred, eyes wide.

"You can't ask us that!" snapped George. "You're our baby sister!"

_The unsaid words hung in the air like a shroud. "—to share magic with the Dark Lord—" but Ginny knew that wasn't the truth. That was only what they thought. What they all thought. She could see it in their eyes. They were horrified._

"No," said Harry, taking Ginny's hand. "We'll find another way."

Tom looked at him intently. "You care for her," he said. "I like you." Then, since Harry so foolishly allowed him the opportunity by holding Ginny's hand, Tom poured his own thoughts into Harry's mind, allowing them to slither into the cracks of his consciousness. _"Just remember, she is mine, and she will always be mine."_

Harry yanked his hand free of Ginny's as if he was burnt, breaking the tenuous connection. He took a deep breath. "I can't say the feeling is mutual," he said aloud. His hand went automatically to his scar and he rubbed his hand across it, but he felt no pain from Tom's contact.

"You-Know-Who getting restless?" asked Ron.

"Huh?"

"Your scar," clarified Ron. "Is it hurting?"

"No," said Harry. "No," he looked at Ginny with a puzzled expression on his face. "It's not hurting at all."

Tom glanced at Samara and Draco who had retreated slightly, and were talking softly with each other. If he wasn't mistaken, Samara was trying to get Draco to understand that their strange relationship wasn't totally perverted.

"Like we give a damn about what Malfoy thinks," said Tom and Ginny had to laugh with him. The soft chuckle seemed to completely undo the Gryffindor group.

_"I'll do it," she thought, "I'll do the spell." And a sparkle of excitement built inside of her, the same giddy feeling of elation that she felt in the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, he had used her; yes, she had feared him but still she found herself irrevocably drawn to him, even yet. She found herself looking forward to the spell—to be present in it—to be able to truly share magic with Tom, not Tom and then her, but she and Tom together, as they hadn't been since first year. First year...was anything good about first year? She wondered, and yet, the thought brought feelings to the surface, feelings that were too deep for speech. The feeling of elation filled her and took away her breath. "Tom," she whispered. "I feel—I feel—just thinking about this makes me feel like I am soaring!" Soaring or falling off of a cliff? She asked herself. There was something hidden here. Something Tom had hidden from her, and yet, he had said they could no longer hide things from one another. _

_"Tom, I know the rules. The hierarchy of magic is clear. The only thing stronger than twin magic is a bonded pair." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "So, I know you wouldn't use our magic as the focal point instead of the twins unless our magic was stronger than theirs. Isn't that right?"_

Tom didn't answer. He shrank inside of himself, trying to decide what thoughts to let her see.

_"When?" snapped Ginny. "And how did you keep this from me?"_

"Ah, Ginny Love, I didn't. I mean not recently. It wasn't too hard when it happened," said Tom. "You were concerned with . . . other things at the time." He seemed very quiet, very soft. "You were twelve—the end of first year." He paused again. "You would have never warded Salazar out alone. Our Bonding was the only way to strengthen our power. I had no choice."

_"There—are—always—choices." _

"You consented," argued Tom.

_"That's why it hurt so much, at St. Mungo's," said Ginny. She remembered how appalled the medi-wizards were that there was consent. Multiple consents to everything he did. It was impossible to unravel, and impossible to break without risking her life or at least her sanity. "That's what they were trying so hard to break," she said._

"Yes."

_She remembered the pain, the medi-witches' efforts, frustration, and finally, their resignation, that what was there, would not change. "But they never severed that bond. It felt like they were trying to tear me apart," Ginny shuddered with the memory. How had she forgotten what he did to her?_

"It felt the same to me."

_"How could it? You didn't have a body!"_

"I felt the _Crucios_ Salazar cast on you. You know I did. Ours is not a physical bonding. It's a magical one. It's not tied to the body. It's tied to the magic, thus, I felt the same distress you did."

_"But, all this time you knew and you didn't tell me?"_

"Tell you?" sighed Tom. "it has always been in your memories. You could have seen it anytime you really looked. You shut the memory away just like the medi witches did. Why should I bring it to your attention? You just didn't want to look."

_"I'm looking now," Ginny said softly._

_"_And now," persisted Tom. "What do you choose?"

_Ginny's thoughts softened. "I'll do the spell," she said resigned to what must be done. "She said nothing else about the Bonding."_

"Ginny?"

_"I can't talk about this now," she said. "We have to get out of here. And **if** we get out of here, **then** I will deal with this."_

"We are probably going to get severely hexed for our trouble anyway, Ginny Love," said Tom

_"I just hope we can get everyone out," replied Ginny._

"How noble," stated Tom.

Tom began arranging the others as he wanted them on each side of the door: the twins on a diagonal with each other and Ginny and Ron on a diagonal. "Have the four of you done a spell together before?" Tom asked.

All of the Weasleys shook their head in the negative.

"You never shared magic with your family?" questioned Draco amazed, but none of the Weasleys answered him. They were listening to Tom's instructions.

"Ginny Love," he teased aloud. "Am I the only one you've shared magic with?"

_Ginny tensed as Tom continued to study Harry, but Harry was simply watching her thoughtfully. "Edward," Ginny said remembering earlier this year._

"Ack! Edward! Oh bugger," thought Tom. "Just when I thought I was special." He didn't wait for Ginny's answer, but went right on with the preparation for the spell, speaking aloud to Ron and the twins. "I want the magic to flow through us in a counterclockwise direction," he coached. "We are going to work on unraveling a little hole to get through," he explained to the twins. "We don't have to shatter the whole ward. That would take too much energy and we want to be able to re-ward the doorway anyway, and slow down his bloody Death Eaters. You will need to repeat the casting for each of the corners after me, and I will say the binding word, since it is in Parseltongue. At the end, I will continue to need your power, so don't pull out of the spell. Hold tight with me. Just saying the Parseltongue will not be enough without the relationship magic. Now, we need a lot of relationship magic, caring for one another."

_"Love," Ginny said._

"Ginny?" Tom spoke softly in her thoughts. "Are you with me for this spell?"

_"**My** consent was never in question," she said._

Tom didn't answer her. Instead he spoke aloud._ "_Ginny reminds me that the correct emotion would be love." Said Tom. "But you have to remember, this idea may have come from Helga, but it was Salazar who actually set it.

"Love, from Salazar?" interrupted Harry.

"Well, that's what I told Ginny," said Tom with a shrug. "A small dose of _'I don't really want you dead right now'_ would probably do it.

Melisande sniggered.

"I don't think this is very funny," snapped Hermione.

"Let's do it," suggested Fred.

Before they joined hands closing the circle, Tom said almost casually, as if it was just a formality and not a life changing fact, "Oh--and Ginny and I need to do the spell together. We need her relationship with you, and my power."

"If Ginny's ok with it, we're ok with it," said George. "If not, we'll just kill you when we get out of here."

"No," said Tom softly. "If you're not ok with every aspect of this spell, we won't get out of here."

George nodded but kept his hands solidly in his pockets.

"It's Ginny's choice," said Fred.

"Ron?" said Tom.

"Are you forcing her?" Ron asked eyes narrowed.

"No," spat Tom. "It has to be consensual magic."

"If Ginny is willing, I guess I am too." Ron put out his hand towards Tom.

"If it were just Ginny," interrupted George, shaking his head.

"But it _is_ Ginny," said Tom. "You need to support her decision. She isn't a little girl anymore, George."

George looked up as if surprised at the use of his name.

"That's what families do," Fred said encouraging his twin. "They support one another no matter what."

"They love each other even through the stupid choices," said George tightly, "But they don't have to like the choices."

Tom paced away, leaving Ron to put his hand back into his robe pocket, after a moment Tom turned back to George. "I know you love your sister," said Tom, "But you can't hold back on this spell. We are the family unit that can possibly do this, but not if you exclude me. Even if I gave Ginny control of this spell and she sacrificed herself for you, it would not take me away from the spell or away from Ginny. I have to be with her." Tom paused. "And she did consent."

"I don't have to—"

"No," said Tom. "George, you have to completely give up your animosity. It will destroy us. We must all be--" Tom paused, the word unfamiliar on his lips. "family—"

"George," said Fred, looking into his twin's eyes. "Remember what you said when Percy left?"

George nodded silently.

"That no matter what our allegiance to Dumbledore or the Ministry might be, it had nothing to do with family?"

"Yeah," George agreed. With a sigh, he reached out for his twin's hand and Ginny's.

When they joined hands Tom felt an immediate jolt of energy course through him. Rather than sapping his energy, the spell was invigorating. The twins had a rather tight leash on their magic, but it was still powerful. It was, as Tom expected, adult magic, and as expected, they had an adult's control. Tom realized that they were testing the waters. They had a lot in reserve, which was a good thing since he was knackered after the repeated _Crucio_s, and Ginny was depleted from warding the dragon in the dungeon. He let the twins' magic flow through him for a moment, examining it and testing it, saying,

"Hold that reserve. You will need it shortly." Then he turned to Ron. Ron's magic was not as powerful, but it had a depth to it that was surprising. He had been with his sister in the Chamber of Secrets and the fact that he had nearly lost her, changed him. He pushed his power to the limit attempting to cradle Ginny in its rather reckless brand of security. It was more Gryffindor that Tom was comfortable with, but he had to deal with it. It bowled over him with its exuberance, much less reserved than the twins. It was warm and comforting, but rather domineering. The intent was clear, if anyone is going to die in this encounter, it will be me. The magic, minus the Gryffindor bravado, reminded him of something—someone elses' magic. He couldn't quite remember who—

_"Your mother," Ginny supplied, and Tom sucked in his breath._

He realized that she was right. He also realized that in some way, not in words but through the spell, the Weasley boys understood what he was feeling. He would have drawn back from the very thought, but at that moment he felt Ginny put her magic into the spell. The first taste of her magic always astounded him. Like the first time he had waded into the ocean, the gentle undulations of the sea had pulled him off balance, but only when he immersed himself fully could he appreciate the power that threatened to drag him out beyond the boundaries he had set for himself. He added his own magic, like firing a sunset on the shimmering waves, the power beneath it severely contained, and for a moment he just basked in the sensations: feeling her presence. When he was ready, he looked for her brothers. All of their magics had become fiercely protective of Ginny, warring for the right to protect her, and adding most of the needed power. They seemed to inquire into the connection between himself and Ginny and once they realized that she was not being hurt, and not protesting, they withdrew to focus on their own part of the spell.

He smiled. "This isn't just going to just work, Ginny Love—this is going to be fun. Just be ready to combat the hexes when it falls." He began to say the words to untangle the ward. It was only when he was completely finished and the magic between them released that he realized he had said the words out loud. He had called her Ginny Love in front of the whole group of them—twice in fact.

No one commented. They were too busy dodging the hexes that Salazar put on his door. Ron was hit with yet another Sectum spell, this time the spell was aimed for his neck but it was deflected by Neville's diving tackle and only nicked the side of his face. Unfortunately, Neville's wand arm was nearly severed in the process. He shrieked with pain and both Lauren and Melisande dashed to help. The twins were not so lucky, being hit with some sort of acid in the face; they were both clawing their eyes and screaming. Samara and Harry stepped forward with pain relieving spells, for both of them, but their sight was still in question. Tom and her brothers had managed to keep Ginny's body unscathed.

They were in! They had done it! Satisfaction washed over Tom even as he surveyed the damage. Ginny's relief was tempered by the fact that nearly everyone in the little group was hurt in some way, the twins and Ron, rather severely. It was a good thing they were only a few steps from the floo that would take them away from here.

No sooner had the group stepped over the threshold than a pop of a single apparition sounded half-way down the corridor. Tom turned in time to see a man with long white hair and a blue robe with shimmering half moons striding purposefully down the corridor towards them, the blue robes billowing behind him.

Hermione's eyes widened, although she continued to hold the illusion of a plain shut door as the wizard approached.

Harry pulled his wand and stepped forward, but Hermione latched onto his sleeve with her left hand, and Tom noticed for the first time how badly she had been burned by the dragon in the dungeon. "Harry! It's _not _Dumbledore," she said in a frantic whisper.

"I know," he said shortly.

>

SSSSSSSSSSS

>

(A/N: I am considering how to put up the end. I hate to break the continuity of it. I may post several chapters at once, but only if you prove worthy…Incidentally, the end is not for several more chapters. I have a number of loose ends to clean up, and I always clean up…Thanks for your gracious reviews. Please visit the yahoo group. TheSeersTruth --Lady Lestrange)

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS.**

Wormtail Sorry I killed off Wormtail, but he was just such a tasty morsel, Voldemort couldn't resist. Anyway, glad you are enjoying.

Riddled-Slytherin So glad you are back and reading! Thanks for the review and as far as the dates, I looked them up, but JK made some mistakes, so I think your fic is fine to use 1945, and math is not my subject either. Just ask ennui! As far as Neville is concerned, I think the Longbottoms are passionate about whatever they decide, and Neville of course has reason to hate Valeriana. I don't think he's fond of Carman or Malfoy either.

damnthatcat Here's your update, one review before it is supposed to be here. Be Happy.

LifeIsOrange Glad you are enjoying. As far as Samara telling Ginny's secrets, it is not the first time. I am surprised that Volde didn't have a lot of fun with her, because she generally isn't good at secret keeping, but Volde really never tried to get her to tell much. She's not really untrustworthy so much as careless as far as secrets are concerned. She's rather a blabbermouth.

Persian Kitten Yes. I will keep writing. I am even considering another story after this, but it might have to wait a while. I like to stay a bit ahead of my readers.

kaili Glad you like

cronenus Yes, Carman may have some problems with her memory.

kittybro Your groveling has paid off. Update arrives at 14 reviews instead of 15. Send this link to your friends and maybe the updates will come more quickly.

Little Red Rabbit Yes, Poor Ginny has been through a lot.

Elbereth Glad you enjoyed.

raptors galore Sorry you think the rescue isn't on track. It is. They will be--um--er-- leaving shortly. Don't want to give things away. Is there going to be a big battle? Yes, but there will be a slight wait for that. After all they just had the bid to do at the Ministry. Let's give them a breather. You might want to re-read the rescue chapters. I think posting them one at a time messes with the continuity. Maybe that is why you feel that it is not going along the original plot line. Rest assured, it is. Love your reviews--usually.

Jager Glad you think this is the best chapter.

Chernobyl: "Harry blocked out the basilisk speech or thoughts or whatnot?" He's Occuding; who wouldn't with the Dark Lord around? But then he thinks about the basilisk's talent he wonders if maybe he shouldn't occlude unless Volde is actually there. The reason for that is that Harry wasn't really expecting the basilisk's telepathy, so he wasn't open to it. He was shutting thoughts out. Now in this chapter you see, his deciding to forgo the occuding unless Volde was nearby, opens him up to Tom in this chapter. Last chapter was preparation for this chapter, among other things. I'm glad you like Neville. I have never seen him as a bumbling idiot and I always thought his memory problems were part of a memory charm. As far as the basilisk speech, Yes, Draco did consider that they would have to kill Ginny because he isn't sure she is Ginny. He is worried she/Tom can communicate with Volde which would be devastating for Draco. After all he did to help the Gryffs, Volde would kill him.

Silverfox1:You said: "You know Tom, sometimes it can be worse punishment to let someone live. After all once they're dead, it's over." Believe me Tom knows that. Carman will have some definite problems. Smirks.

Question about Volde recognizing Tom's magic. We have known from the beginning when Samara cast her spell on Ethan and Snape saw it, (TST:TBB) that most Slytherins and others, Aurors and most adult wizards can tell one wizard from the other from the magical signature. This is in every spell, except when a spell is done with someone elses' wand it would mask the magic somewhat. Yes, Volde could find traces of Tom in any of Ginny's spells, but he knew she was possessed by the diary, so he doesn't know Tom is an actual thinking entity. Also, Ginny's wand blocks some of the signature and makes it look like hers. If you note, Ginny has not used wandless magic since Tom took her over. (except when he forgets) He apparated with the wand. That's why he almost got caught. You do think Tom could equal Draco's finesse at Apparition Tag, don't you? About Carman seeing Draco: Carman was very close to Tom in her younger days. The shock of feeling Tom's magic pushed all thoughts of any one else out of her mind. She will think of it later though. Will it be too late, or not? You will have to read and see.

**Now, go and review before you forget. Be a responsible reader. You didn't have to pay for this fic. Reviews are my payment. After you review, visit TheSeersTruth yahoo group on groups/yahoo. com/group/TheSeersTruth --Lady Lestrange**


	38. CH 38 Secrets of the Dark Circle

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 38**

**Secrets of the Dark Circle**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

-Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Ennui de Morte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point:** Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure.

Do they at last escape the Snow Castle?

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

Secrets of the Dark Circle 

**Chapter 38**

"I want them found," spat Voldemort as he strode down the corridor. "I won't have a bunch of children making fools out of my best Death Eaters! Where's Chadburne with my creatures?" he snapped.

"I will find out," said one of his Death Eaters.

"You do that," snapped Voldemort. He frowned and ground to a halt and the Death Eaters with him stopped abruptly trying not to run into him. He turned and glared at the Death Eater who had promised to find Chadburne. "Well, go!" he said, throwing a painful but relatively innocuous curse at him as the Death Eater ran down a side corridor. He narrowed his eyes as he searched ahead.

Voldemort realized a group of—something was coming down the corridor enmass. Chadburne was not with them. At the forefront was someone he recognized from long ago—Darla, looking like her fifteen-year-old self, but of course she was not one of Helga's fifteen-year-old Hufflepuff students. She was a vampire, and she was not alone. He uttered a vulgarity that was rarely heard outside of Knockturn. He was all too willing to throw some of the Death Eaters to the vampires rather than subjecting himself to their bite, but it wouldn't work. He immediately stepped back into the group of Death Eaters-not enough-only five. Five Death Eaters would have trouble defending against five vampires. Where the hell was Chadburne and his crew?

When Salazar had captured the vampires, he had sent them to their prison, hungry and potion deprived and even then, he used a ten to one ratio of Death Eaters to Vampires. They were more dangerous than the Werewolves, and nearly as brutal as the giants. He brought only a few at a time to the Snow Castle. The rest were kept at Azkaban with the less controllable creatures. However, he was confident that he would not be bitten. He was careful, and he had a thousand years of experience with undead creatures of various kinds. Being bitten would be a severe inconvenience. Aside from the puncture itself, the wound was painful due to the vampire's saliva which kept the blood from coagulating. Even the toxicity of the vampire blood within his own immortality potion was painful. He knew more than he wanted to about that from Legilimency with some of the vampires, not the least of which was Darla herself. He immediately looked around for his Death Eaters, using them as a living shield.

"Oh Sal," said Darla. "Or should I call you Professor Slytherin?" Her young face scrunched up with laughter as she continued. He couldn't help but remember her face lighting up the same way when she got a spell right in his class so many years ago. He glanced behind her at the others, also obviously vampires.

"Your Death Eaters were fools long before you invited the children. After all, they followed you, Professor. Should I call you Professor? We are, after all, contemporaries among these youthful souls." She gestured nonchalantly to those in the corridor.

"Who released you?" asked Voldemort.

"Oh, I think that's the wrong question." She sucked on one of her own bloody fingernails. "I think you should ask who is going to cage us again?"

Voldemort pulled his wand, thinking the pain of a spell may loosen her tongue, but what to use? He wanted her coherent to tell him who the children were that released her. "Where are they?" he demanded.

"Oh dear," drawled Darla, "A mini stake! Should I be afraid?" Darla smirked. "You don't have the power to penetrate this old skin," she predicted, and then she frowned. "Whatever happened to your staff, Professor? I remember you laughing at the other professors, saying your magic couldn't be contained in such a—small vessel." She leered at him, winking, the expression odd on her youthful face. "Lost some of your magic, did you? What will you do with that—small vessel?"

He tensed. He wanted very badly to curse her, but he knew from experience she was both faster and stronger than he was. The only way to subdue her was to overpower her with a number of Death Eaters or to wait until she was starving and willing to do anything for blood. That would not be for a while though, he thought as he noted the pallor of her skin was diminished, allowing her to almost pass as mortal even though she was a thousand years old. She had eaten recently. He wondered who it was.

She shrugged and grinned at him; a cheeky grin that would have earned her some time in punishment if she were still his pupil. "Well, maybe if you sharpened the end of your wand it would be more formidable," she suggested helpfully. She paused and brushed back her brown hair. "You know if you curse me with it, it's just going to make me really, really mad, that is if you manage to hit me. Not only that, I seem to remember you had a bit of a skin problem when you used your wand in the past. Am I right?"

He sucked in his breath. _How could she know that?_ He wanted so much to Legilimize her but vampires were nearly impossible to read and considering her age and possible thrall powers, it was better to keep his attention in the present.

"Definitely," Darla agreed with his thought. "You don't want to see what sort of mind powers I have cultivated," she said mockingly. "Your example was such an inspiration—Professor," she spat the word as if it were foul and he felt magic pooling in his hands regardless to the fact that her speed would make her nearly impossible to hit. Of course, if he hit her, _Avada Kedavra_ would hurt her. Reduce her to a quivering mass of muscle, but it wouldn't kill her. It probably wouldn't loosen her tongue though. Perhaps Imperius—

**_"Imper—"_** began Voldemort, but Darla chortled with laughter and pushed his wand away, leaping to safety before he could complete the spell.

"Much as I won't die, your magic _hurts!_" she called from the rafters above him. "You remember, don't you Sal? All those excruciating experiments with death?" Darla smirked, laying a finger against her lips as she dropped back to the floor and took a step towards him. "Ah the good old days," she whispered. "Of course I might be able to help you. Are you still lusting after immortality?" She smiled, showing her blood-tinged fangs and took another step closer. "I can help you with that, of course, being one of the undead might not be what you had in mind, I know it wasn't top of my list of things to do, and of course it hurts, too."

He forced himself to remain still, his wand ready in front of him, Death Eaters flanking him. If she attacked, he wasn't sure if he would actually use his wand magically or as a stake as she suggested. He knew he didn't want to turn his back on her. He didn't delude himself into thinking his Death Eaters would be fast enough to save him. He decided that _Incendio_ would work. It was simpler and therefore faster

"It hurts a lot," she said gliding yet closer. "Now, wouldn't that be a switch?" She turned to the Death Eaters who flanked him. "Want to hear your Master scream?" she asked softly, but neither answered. Instead, they took a step back away from her, fear evident on their faces.

"I've had enough," snapped Voldemort. He was ready to cast _Incendio_ and lose any chance to interrogate her. Although he knew she couldn't die from it because she was too fast, but she would probably get burned if he used a wide spell. It might take out a few of his Death Eaters too, but he was not concerned about that. He stepped back so that he was once again flanked by his Death Eaters.

"But I haven't…had enough," crooned Darla. "I'm enjoying myself immensely. You know, it might be easier to take if a vampire makes a fool of your best Death Eaters," said her soft voice. "Better than children—by the way, thanks for the dragon. Tasty." She smacked her lips in an exaggerated way and bared her blood stained teeth in a macabre grin. "You can't tempt me with those." She gestured to the Death Eaters and they again took a step back. "I'm not hungry."

"So Professor," she said sweetly, "what have you been up to lately, besides throwing innocent people into your dungeons for no reason except your own sick little pleasures?"

Lazily, Voldemort let the magic pool in his left hand while he held the wand on her with his right. Perhaps she would drop some information about who freed her without being asked. He decided to humor her. After all, Hufflepuffs were notoriously chatty. "You stretch the limits of imagination calling yourself a person," he said.

"Oh? What about your Squibs?" asked Darla. "That's right, I forgot," said Darla sarcastically. "You don't call them people either. But it might interest you to know, I made it my personal goal in life—oh well—in death to drain or turn every one of them, along with your wizarding offspring. Well, except the one that Godric offed. Oh, you didn't know that?" said Darla covering her mouth as if she had made a mistake. "Oh dear, silly me.

"I'll attribute it to the fact that you were in Hufflepuff house," said Voldemort, barely containing his rage.

"Oh yes, Hufflepuff house. It has been a long time. Long time, no experiments. I have a lot to tell you actually. I should get the highest NEWTS on death spells. You see, I learned a lot about life and death in the last 1000 years, _Professor_." She laid the irony on the last word and smirked.

"I'm bursting with anticipation," said Voldemort dryly as he waved several of his Death Eaters forward to take her, but she hissed at them, and they backed off instinctively.

_I'll deal with them later_, thought Voldemort as he committed their faces to memory for later _Crucios_.

"You are lucky none of us are hungry," said Darla, waving to the others behind her. "I must tell you thanks for the buffet. As a matter of fact, you may be upset with the younger Death Eaters right now, but I think they are quite—um—delectable, and now, Sal, where are you manners? Say hello to your children." She turned, waving some of the vampires from behind her into sight. "They are my children, too, now," she said. "I sired all your Squibs. Of course they aren't all here. You missed a few. I do want you to know, yours are my only children. Do you think Helga would be jealous?" Darla laughed.

"Don't malign Helga," warned Voldemort, his eyes narrowing.

"Moi!" said Darla with a look of disbelief. "I'm a Hufflepuff. I'm loyal. _You_ maligned Helga enough all on your own, Professor. Poor Helga," Darla reminisced. "Do you know how much she suffered before she died? Before she decided she would rather die than watch you sell out her principles, picking off her Hufflepuffs."

"I did not pick off her Hufflepuffs!" Voldemort roared.

"Oh? You do know that was why she died, don't you? You know—the prophecy?"

"What do you know about that prophecy?" asked Voldemort in a low deadly voice.

"Oh, do you think I should tell you out of the goodness of my Hufflepuff heart?" she asked cheekily. "I don't think so—After all, what can you do to me? Take house points?" She giggled girlishly.

"I never did take house points!'

"I remember," said Darla. "No, you didn't take house points. You didn't even cane us. Instead, you had those practical detentions in the Forbidden Forest—or your lab."

"No one was hurt—"

"Everyone was hurt!" she roared. "Tell your children that no one was hurt!" She gestured to the cluster of vampires behind her.

"These were not my children," hissed Voldemort. "You lie."

"Of course they are," said Darla. "Look how fair I was. I was far more equitable than you were with me. You damned me when I was still a child. I waited for them to grow up. Of course, some of them have your tastes and haven't waited for their prey to mature. For them, I must thank you for inviting us to the Snow castle buffet." She gave a slight bow and stepped forward a little. Voldemort backed away.

"Afraid?" she asked, cocking her head and tucking her hair carefully behind her ear in a gesture reminiscent of her fifteen-year-old self.

"No!"

"Ah, I understand," she said. "I, too, am afraid of nothing. It comes with living so long I think. Nothing causes me any fear. Not death or pain. Not even your pitiful attempts at torture or the Elementals."

Voldemort startled. _How could anyone not fear losing his or her essence in the Elementals?_ She spoke brave words, but he didn't believe her. Nonetheless, she raised her hands out like a Madonna, embracing the world. "Stake me, Salazar, unless you are afraid. Finish the job you started."

"I never meant for you to get bitten, Darla," said Voldemort. "You were only the bait. I talked about this with you—"

"No," snapped Darla. "_Tom_ talked with me about this, not you. You called me—" she paused, "what was the term—A Necessary Casualty, I believe."

"You were supposed to escape."

"Yes, and you were supposed to stay stuck in the diary," said Darla. "We can't all get what we want, but I'll tell you who did escape: One little Squib girl got away. I was disappointed at the time, but I suppose Helga's prophecy had to be fulfilled."

"What do you know about that? Tell me!" snapped Voldemort, his eyes flashing fire. "Tell me her prophecy." If this vampire knew anything about the prophecy that had eluded him for a thousand years, he would get it out of her. He searched his memory for any way that he could force a vampire to give up her secrets. There had to be a spell, if only he could think of it.

"Oh, come now, if Helga died to keep it from you, far be it from me to tell you the intimate details. I'm still a Hufflepuff you know. I'm loyal to my house and loyal to my revenge."

"Yes, you _are_ still a Hufflepuff," said Voldemort. "If you had such a secret you could not have kept it for a thousand years. You don't know. You're bluffing." But he didn't really believe she was bluffing. Hufflepuffs didn't have the cunning to pull off a bluff, but what they did have was a network of gossip that was never ending. If Helga told anyone in Hufflepuff, it should have been out in the open years ago. _She couldn't have told anyone_, he concluded. _She simply did not know. Helga took the secret to her grave. Darla might know of the prophecy, but she didn't know what it said._

"Why should I tell you anything? You have nothing to bargain with Salazar," she taunted him. "I've just partaken of an unnaturally large dragon, and you remember how much I like dragon blood, don't you. Almost as good as human. Oh, I _have_ to introduce you to my first childe. You never had a chance to meet your great, great grandson, Damascus. By that time, you had already locked yourself away in that gruesome Chamber of Secrets."

"That _creature_ is not related in any way to me," snapped Voldemort as he looked at the vampire. The vampire appeared to be in his early twenties, and his eyes flashed fire like his grandfather's.

"Do you want to know about the little Squib girl who got away?" Darla asked. "She, of course, was Tom's ancestor. Without him, you would have stayed locked in that Chamber and everyone would have continued to spread stories about the monster in the Chamber of Secrets." Darla licked her lips and some of the vampires with her shuffled.

"Now that Diary," continued Darla. "That was pure genius. 'So you'd gotten out of the hat,' Tom had said. 'I should be able to put him back into another object, like a book.' I liked that boy. Is he still present in this mess of scales and rot you call a body?"

"He has no power," said Voldemort. "That's what happens to people who displease me."

Darla nodded. "He had the right idea about you. Lock you away forever. I did myriads of research for him, trying to find out exactly how to keep you in that book once you got out of the hat."

At last, Voldemort saw Chadburne returning with his group, and he silently _Imperioed_ several Death Eaters into rushing her, with multiple _Incendio_ spells. The other vampires were pushed back and Salazar thought, even if he lost a few Death Eaters, he would still have Chadburne's group.

Darla bit two before she was caught, by their combined efforts, and she smiled at Salazar before she fell, engulfed in their binding spells. She looked strangely innocent, even with blood on her lips and her hair falling into her piercing black eyes. "You know, Sal," she said, "You look really bad for an immortal. Are you sure you are going to live forever, or did hell just spit you back out?"

>

Harry looked at Hermione. She was struggling to hold the illusion in place on Voldemort's door. She was so bedraggled she hardly looked like his friend. Her hair was singed and her robes where covered with soot. Beads of sweat had caused her normally curly hair to cling in damp tendrils to her face and neck, and she looked more exhausted than he had ever seen her. Fear shone in her eyes.

Her face contorted with the stress of holding the illusion and trying to talk to him. "Don't talk," he said.

"Harry!" she begged. "Don't do anything foolish!" Then the strain of the past few hours suddenly caught up with her, and the illusion flickered violently, cracking like fine crystal and falling away as the wizard with long white hair and billowing blue robes approached.

Harry pulled his wand and stepped in front of Tom, past Hermione's broken illusion, away from Fred who was still moaning softly on the floor and holding his eyes.

He wasted no time on formalities. He knew this was not Dumbledore and he had no intention of pretending. "Snape," Harry said his voice filled with the deepest loathing. The others who were able, came back into the doorway and pulled their wands. Samara and Draco remained with the injured.

Hermione waited a moment and then stopped trying to rebuild the illusion of a shut door and empty corridor. Instead, she followed Harry into the hall. She, too, pulled her wand.

The image of Dumbledore paused, but made no attempt to convince Harry or the others that what they saw was the real Dumbledore. Snape looked at the open door and for just a moment surprise was evident on his face. Then he strode forward, making no attempt to defend himself. "Idiots," he snarled as he looked past them at the cursed Gryffindors.

Wands were trained on him, but Snape didn't move to pull his own wand. He crossed his arms and glared at Harry. "I'm surprised you didn't bring a few first years to get killed, too, Potter. Did you invite half of Gryffindor to this little party?"

Harry felt rage bubbling inside of him, but Snape continued undaunted, shoving Harry towards the open doorway to Voldemort's rooms. "Get out of here," he snarled. "You should have been gone already."

"There were alarms, weren't there?" asked Ginny. "On Salazar's door."

Snape nodded. He took his eyes from the group long enough to cast a worried glance down the corridor. "Just go," he said looking at the bedraggled crew.

"I'm not going anywhere you traitorous son-of-a-bitch," snarled Ron as he roused himself from the Sectum hex. "You killed him! You killed Dumbledore!"

"Albus?" said Snape.

"We heard you bragging to Voldemort!" spat Harry.

"We've hexed you before—" said Ron.

Snape whirled around on Ron, shoving him through the door towards the floo with a completely un-Dumbledore-like gesture. "You don't have time for this, Mr. Weasley. Move," he snapped, curling the Headmasters lips into a most unnatural snarl. "Or all we've done will be for nothing."

"But Dumbledore," said Hermione. "We saw his body."

"And you'll see it again at Hogwarts," snapped Snape.

Hermione gaped at him.

"Idiot girl! There's no way in hell I'd let Albus escape into death and leave me behind with no excuse to keep the Dark Lord out of my head! With all the torture I've suffered for that man and his principles, the people I have endured, to say nothing about his soddin' mutts. He'll damned well stay and suffer this cursed life with me. Now, get—"

"The potion," said Ginny, finally understanding. "The one Lily used."

Snape did not answer.

"Lily?" said Harry.

Snape's beetle black eyes took in the rest of the group, stopping as he noted Lauren. "Miss Avery," he said. "There is a ghost in Slytherin who will protect you. Move to that room and stay in it."

Lauren nodded. "Aunt Andromeda," she said.

"But why would Dumbledore—" began Ginny, and Snape's eyes narrowed as if he could see through walls or hear something far away. Abruptly, he shoved Harry into the room with the group of children and slammed the door shut without another word.

A moment later they all heard the pops of several apparitions in the corridor.

"Did you check the room?" asked an unfamiliar voice in the corridor.

"Hell no," said Snape. "Do you really think a bunch of children could get in there? But be my guest, if you want to brave His hexes—" There was a brief pause and a scraping along the floor. "One of them's bleeding," said Snape. There was another pause, and then Snape concluded, "Pureblood. It could be anybody."

There was a moment of muttering, and then silence.

"I don't think they Apparated," said Snape. "I don't see any signatures. Do any of you sense any?"

Several muttered responses were heard and then Snape again, "So they are running. They can't be far. Let's split up. Avery, you're with me."

>

Tom wanted to dive immediately into the floo, but he paused, forcing himself to assess the situation. He should re-ward the door. He listened intently as the Death Eaters moved from the door. Something in his very being demanded that he resist the urge to act rashly. _Never hurry. Never appear flustered or ruffled. Never let them know you are not in complete control._ He gestured towards the cold fireplace. "I believe our way to Hogwarts awaits us," he said cooly.

The group looked at the floo, but Harry caught his arm. "You know something about my mother, don't you?" he asked.

Tom nodded but didn't elaborate. He pulled himself immediately out of Harry Potter's grasp. The feeling of his fingers closing around his arm had reminded him forcefully of the number of times he had been dragged to the confinement room in the cold cellar of the orphanage with the matron's fingers around his arm in just that way. He struggled to bury those memories.

_"Look at this room," suggested Ginny. "See it with the fire burning wizard green."_

Tom took a moment to look around the room of his nemesis and his jailor. The suite of rooms was meticulously neat decorated in grays and browns and a minimum of green. The colors were of rock and sand, not living things. It was a somewhat austere room, reminding Tom of the Chamber of Secrets or the dungeon at Hogwarts, except the floor was not stone. The carpet beneath his feet was lush and golden and the room was warm and comfortable. Perhaps a little too warm, thought Tom, as he halted the group's progress. A sense of unease made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with anxiety. He sensed a presence, but perhaps it was not here, or was it guarding the floo? He forced himself to look.

Beyond the sitting area was an open door to a bedroom. Tom could see the huge mahogany bed and dressers and the floo fireplace they had been searching for. It appeared empty and cold. Beyond were several other cupboards and shelves which contained various potions and books; which Tom thought might have belonged to the Rosiers, but nothing in the room betrayed the personal relationships of the rooms' current occupant. There were no pictures or clothing. All of the books were clean and well maintained. No doubt some house elf would be severely punished if the room weren't in order.

A single lavender rose stood in a vase on the mantle, but it looked somewhat bedraggled. Some petals were obviously missing, torn away, still the rose survived. That seemed strange for a rose in mid winter, and Tom looked hard at the rose, finally realizing what he was seeing. It was a forever-rose. It would bloom as long as the maker loved the recipient. It seemed inconceivable that the rose had been given to Salazar, especially since it was still blooming, and Tom reached out to touch it, but something at that moment drew Tom's eyes back to the bed.

Curled amid several rust and gold and green colored cushions, neatly camouflaged, was Nagini. She was sound asleep. She was as big around as his arm now, he couldn't see how long she was since she was coiled, but she was beautiful. He just stood and looked at her for a moment. He knew that unlike the basilisks, Nagini would not recognize his magic. She would not know him. He remembered when he got her and with the help of his magic, he wore her on his wrist beneath his robe to class, just like Harry Potter wore Shesha, until some Hufflepuff saw her and carried tales to Dippit. He wasn't sure which Hufflepuff it was—Bones or Abbott. They were interchangeable in his mind. Bloody tale telling gits, afraid of their own shadows. He kept Nagini in his dorm room then. She was one of the first of his secrets. Once she was his familiar, but now she belonged to Salazar: Salazar, who had taken everything from him. She would tell Salazar they were here. She had to be silenced.

The movement of a wand beside him caught his eye, and in a moment, he had grabbed the arm and deflected the spell. **_"Stupefy!"_** said Harry Potter. The spell went wide and missed the big snake. With a hiss, Nagini awoke and rose up threateningly. The basilisks all instantly became alert.

"Ginny!" Harry snapped but even Harry seemed to realize that he wasn't talking to Ginny. "Stay out!" Harry snapped to the others that rushed to the doorway of the bedroom to see what had happened.

Tom in that same moment realized that he had not needed to deflect the spell. He had thought Harry Potter would kill Nagini, but he had only used _Stupefy_. "(Be still!)" Tom hissed to all the basilisks.

"(Stupid babies,)" hissed Nagini, uncoiling as she moved.

"I thought you would kill her," Tom said softly to Harry.

"Why would I?" asked Harry.

"(Long ago, Master promised Harry Potter would be mine,)" said Nagini. "(He has come as promised)." Nagini stirred, slithering closer to Harry.

"(No, not yet,)" said Tom.

Harry kept his wand poised on the snake, but Shesha, silent and deadly, had slithered to the bottom of the bed, within striking distance of Nagini. She was inching closer with tiny, imperceptible movements.

"(Soon he will be too big,)" muttered Nagini.

_"Stay hidden, Visha. Do not move. Do not frighten her,"_ said Tom in his mind as he inched forward. "(Come to me, Nagini,)" demanded Tom, but Nagini didn't take her eyes from Harry.

"(Why should I?)" she asked. "(You are nothing but one of Master's toys.)"

Tom, in a lightening quick movement, grasped the snake behind the head in an expert grip. Unfortunately, Ginny's hand was neither as big nor as strong as Tom's own. Nagini twisted instantly, striking, and wrapping herself around his arm squeezing, but then two things happened almost simultaneously. Harry fired off another, **_"Stupefy!"_** and Shesha struck. Nagini shuddered and collapsed, unconscious.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked Ginny as he grasped her forearms. "Did she bite you?"

Tom resisted the urge to immediately Legilimize Harry when he touched him; there was really nothing more he could learn, and the habit was Salazar's, not his own. Instead, he twisted out of Harry's grip and held out Ginny's hand to show Harry the two scratchlike marks. Ginny's fingers had turned slightly blue from lack of circulation, and there was bruising coloring her arm. "Luckily Nagini didn't get a good grip and I would think the basilisk venom I've taken should give me some manner of immunity to any snake bite anyway... It's hurting, but I'm sure it will be OK. She's not venomous." Tom explained.

Visha was railing angrily. "(Why did you order me to be still? Now you are hurt and you shouldn't have been hurt by that—that—)" Visha stuttered, unable to find a epithet strong enough for what she felt. "(That zis!)" she spat at last.

Tom laughed at her. "(I'm alright, Visha,)" he reassured the basilisk.

"(You could have been suffocated. It doesn't take her kind long to squeeze the life from one as small as you,)" Visha complained.

"(You didn't kill her?)" snapped Tom to Visha, suddenly worried about Visha's vehemence.

"(Of course not,)" said Visha. "(She was only following her stupid animal instincts. How could I kill her for being a snake?)"

Tom had to admit to Ginny and to himself that he had overestimated the power in Ginny's hands. Physically she was quite weak and her hands were pitifully small: her fingers much shorter than his. He needed to remember that. In a physical fight she had to use finesse, not strength.

"You allowed yourself—Ginny—to get bitten," Harry accused Tom. "If you hadn't deflected my spell…"

"I know," said Tom, but he didn't explain further. He walked past the big snake to the fireplace which was cold. He hissed, "Open," and with a wave of Harry's wand lit the fire in the fireplace and then tossed the wand back to Harry. Gesturing to the dancing flames he said, "You're first, right Malfoy?" He turned and walked back towards the first room

"Where are you going?" Harry demanded.

"I don't see the need to explain my every move to you," said Tom coolly. "That would get terribly awkward, don't you think?" His lips curled into a smirk as he walked past the others and began to re-ward Salazar's outer door.

"Do you want some help?" asked Lauren. Neville and Melisande had followed.

Back at the floo, Hermione helped Fred as he shuffled blindly towards the fire. "I wish we could go home," he said brushing the constant tears from his eyes..

"I wish we could go to the Burrow, too," said Ron. "But they will follow us eventually, won't they?"

"We are condemning whatever home we floo to," said Hermione, shivering with the effects of the dragon fire burns. "I wish there was somewhere warded."

"St. Mungo's?" muttered Fred.

"And condemn all the patients to whatever comes after us?" asked Hermione.

"At least we should try to floo near a medi-witch," added George as Ron helped him to his feet. George barely opened his bloodied mouth when he spoke, and he was clinging to his brother apparently uncaring of the state of Ron's bloodied robes. "Do you think I'm going to be blind, Fred?"

"It will be all right," Fred promised.

"If only we could go to Hogwarts directly," said Neville, still cradling his wounded arm. "We all need Madam Pomfrey, and only Draco has a Portkey to the infirmary."

"But none of the fires at Hogwarts—" began Harry, and then he stopped, looking at Ron, who was picking dried blood from his robe. They thought of it at the same time.

"Trelawney!" they said simultaneously.

"We're going to the North Tower," said Harry. "Her fire always burns no matter what rules she breaks."

"We're first," said Draco, stepping up to the fire with his arm around Samara. No one argued as Samara threw in a pinch of floo powder and shouted, "Hogwarts, North Tower." A moment later, Draco followed her. Hermione went next at Ron's insistence. The twins followed one after the other, Fred to the fire by Melisande and Neville, and George led by Ron, and then Ginny, because Ginny insisted she had to be last. Finally, there was only Ginny and Lauren and Harry still in Voldemort's chambers.

A long time passed and the group in Trelawney's room exchanged worried glances when at last Harry and Ginny wrapped in each others arms, stumbled through the floo and fell on the floor, a lavender forever-rose falling beneath their feet.

"Put out the fire," snapped Ginny as she picked up the rose and Trelawney complied.

"Oh dear," she said as the fire went out. She seemed to blink awake and saw them. "I should have notified Poppy that she would be needed." With a pop Trelawney was gone.

"No! No!" Harry shouted as he pulled out of Ginny's arms, pushing her away and relighting the fire. He turned, looking around wildly for floo powder, snatched the powder jar from the mantel and threw in a pinch of powder. The urn fell to the floor and shattered as he dove for the fire, shouting, "Snow Castle!" and then, "Rosier's home!" He thought for a moment and then tried, "Morsmordre!" None of the words worked. In frustration he smacked his fists on the floor, crying, "No! **Damn** him!" as Ron and Hermione moved to pull Harry from the fire place and Ginny once again put out the fire.

"Where's Lauren?" Draco said concerned.

"She stayed," said Ginny. Without a trace of emotion, she stood, twirling the rose in her and not looking at anyone.

"Ginny would have never left her!" panted Harry, glaring at—Tom.

Draco grabbed Ginny by the robe collar and furiously thrust her against the stone wall of the tower. Her head snapped back and hit the wall with a resounding crack and the rose fluttered to the floor. Ron moved for his wand, left handed, but Ginny was faster. Instantly, Draco was pushed back from Ginny with a crackle of magic and as he stumbled away from her, she reached a hand behind her head to touch blood. "What the hell happened?" yelled Draco.

"She chose to stay," said Ginny, her soft brown eyes gaining a measure of depth and daring him to argue with her. "What is it that Dumbledore says—_It's the choices you make that make you the wizard you are_? Yes, well far be it from us to make that choice for her."

"Voldemort," panted Harry. "Voldemort brought her father to the corridor. Voldemort and a bunch of Death Eaters—"

"No!" said Draco sinking to his knees. "Is Uncle Marshall dead?"

"Not yet," said Harry, his face contorted with grief.

"He said he wouldn't kill her father if she remained. That was the whole point of her staying," said Ginny.

"And you believed him?" asked Neville amazed.

"Yes, actually," said Ginny. "He prefers that she willingly join her aunts. A circle of three joined by blood and magic is a thing of power and beauty. He wouldn't—"

"Beauty!" choked Hermione.

Everyone just stared in silent horror. "You understand, don't you, Draco?" Ginny continued. "That's why you interrupted his placing the Dark Mark on Samara: the difference between consensual and nonconsensual magic—"

Draco nodded miserably and, closing his eyes, leaned his head against the wall. It looked like he was close to tears, and Samara moved to him putting her arms around him. It was impossible that they all were so close to escape and Lauren shouldn't make it back. Samara was the first to speak. "It's done, and nothing we can do can change it. Draco, how much Polyjuice did Vincent have?"

"Two hours," said Draco.

Samara nodded. "Then we'd better hurry. Vincent will soon be exposed." It seemed impossible that the Gryffindors had only been at the Snow Castle for a couple of hours. It seemed like years had passed and she had aged centuries.

"Then you'd better go," said Samara, holding him at arms length and looking at the clock on Trelawney's desk. "Anyway, Trelawney will be back with Pomfrey shortly. I'm sorry, Draco, about Lauren." Her voice sounded defeated.

"You could have **stayed** Potter," accused Draco.

"I tried," said Harry, throwing a furious look at Ginny as she reached down to collect the discarded forever-rose.

Draco touched his Portkey and was gone.

"Ginny?" said Samara, reaching out to touch the lavender rose in her hand. "Why did you take this from him?"

"It's not his," Ginny hissed vehemently, clutching the flower to her chest. "It's mine. My mother made it for me-my mother-not his."

>

**Answers to Reviews:**

Riddled-Slytherin

Glad you love Tom. He'll be around for a while longer, so keep reading.

Kittybro

Glad you enjoy

Alaxander

Glad you liked the title. Sometimes they are hard to think of.

Silverfox1

As usual you are thinking, but I didn't use the bond between Samara and Draco purposefully. They are certainly strong enough, but there is not much love between Draco and Ginny or Draco and Harry. The balance is important here and that is what I wanted to stress.

Virginia Riddle-Malfoy

Welcome. So excited to have you join us. I am enjoying all of your comments. Thanks for reviewing.

Mikhail Glad you are enjoying.

Sayuri

Yes, you never know, that wandless magic could come back to haunt him.

Trillium You said:

"And you would kill someone."

"You say that like it's a fault," said Tom.

I loved that. And when all the Weasly's shared the spell...

We have to keep in mind that Tom isn't a sweet little Hufflepuff.

Trillium

Is it your computer that got my computer hooked on drugs? Grrr. LOL

You wrote: ch 36, anonymous I'm so sorry. I know this review is long overdue...but my comp is on crack, my car is possessed and I've been very busy.

Little Red Rabbit

Missed your insights. Welcome back. sugerplumfairy

Cronenus

Glad to see you are back with us.

Elbereth Thanks for your reviews.

SinSamantha if Ginny stopped resisting Tom at least half of the story would be over. The chase is what makes it fun.

Jager

Thanks for being patient.

fire-sprite16

You wrote: So strange at the end about the walking dumbledore. I wonder who it is? Could it be Salazar under polyjuice? Ill have to wait an see! Update soon! You're joking right?

Lirael Love your penname. "Harry baiting" LOL


	39. CH 39: Wounds of War

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 39**

**Wounds of War**

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Ennui de Morte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(**A/N:** I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

**Up to this Point:** Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure. At last they escape the Snow Castle for the safety of Hogwarts, but is anywhere really safe?

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth

**Wounds of War**

**x x**

They were finally all settled into the infirmary, in night clothes which Madam Pomfrey had conjured when she saw their torn and bloodied robes. It was a welcome lull from the adrenaline filled activities of the past few hours, including their arrival in the Infirmary.

Harry thought that Madam Pomfrey had nearly gone into cardiac arrest when she saw them; however it was Harry who almost went into cardiac arrest when he saw the Infirmary. It was divided into sections with opaque wards around a number of beds and no less than four healers were shuffling through the mayhem in addition to Madam Pomfrey. Red Auror robes were everywhere, many of them bloodied and torn. Two young Aurors jumped to attention and the pitiful little group, too tired to even think of defending themselves, were looking at drawn wands. For the first time ever, Harry saw the staid medi-witch with blood staining her always immaculate robes.

"No! No, it's alright," said Madam Pomfrey as she spelled clean her robes with a quick _Sterili-Scourgify_. "They're students." She regained her poise relatively quickly and in a matter of seconds had led them through the chaos to a back section of the Infirmary which had only four beds, three of them filled. She pointed her wand at the forth bed and multiplied it, twice pushing the existing beds closer together, and then she turned to the group. The most visible injuries of the group were actually the least serious, and Madam Pomfrey thought that Draco had been safely sleeping for the last two hours instead of Apparating across the Snow Castle multiple times. Harry peered around the corner of Madam Pomfrey's make-shift wall at the bustling infirmary and wondered which bed Draco might be in.

"Shouldn't they be in St. Mungo's?" whispered Harry, trying not to gawk.

"The headmaster prefers to have them here, so he can speak with them," said Madam Pomfrey in a terse tone, but she didn't say why, or if they were Order members. Harry supposed that might be the case, but with a sinking heart he realized that Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be talking to his Order members any time soon. Harry just wanted to lie down and sleep. Perhaps when he woke up it would all just be a bad dream.

Madam Pomfey triaged them by the fact that they were all standing, except for Hermione who had sunk immediately onto one of the beds. Although the twins' injury was probably worse, they were in little pain due to Harry and Samara's ministrations. Madam Pomfrey looked at Hermione first and then turned back to the twins, running her wand in front of both of their noses. She looked back and forth between the twins and Hermione, finally calling a Medi-wizard to help her, but he seemed to be occupied with another of the injured Aurors. "These look like dragon fire burns," she said to Hermione, but how would you"

"They are, Madam Pomfrey," confirmed Hermione, "But it was some sort of hybrid dragonlike nothing I've seen before."

Madam Pomfrey muttered what might have been a mild oath and then she did a quick spell on the twins' eyes, telling them they would keep, before she started with Hermione who was in obvious distress, and had been for quite some time. After extracting the information from the reluctant group that the burns were indeed dragon in origin, Madam Pomfrey healed Hermione's dragon fire burns, and liberally slathered on orange burn goo. The medi-witch then gave her a potion, cursing the entire time about Hagrid and his unnatural obsession with large, deadly animals.

"It wasn't Hagrid's fault," began Harry, but Madam Pomfrey interrupted. "'Course not. It's never his fault is it?" she muttered as she touched the tip of George's nose with her wand. "Now, Hush," she told Harry as she incanted the spell and proceeded to measure drops to put in both of the twins' eyes.

"Drink up," she told Hermione impatiently, as she noticed the girl was still holding the flask of potion.

"What will it do?" Hermione asked and before Madam Pomfrey turned back to the twins she answered. "It will limit the dragon magic in your system and stop the magic from continuing to burn you. Now, just drink itall of it."

Only Hermine, thought Harry, Would want to know about Madam Pomfrey's potion before she drank it, even when she was in pain.

Madam Pomfrey didn't seem too concerned with George's broken nose, although it was a bloody mess. Instead she put eye drops in both of the twins' eyes before moving on to anything else. George yowled and nearly jumped off of the bed.

"That hurt as bad as the acid in the first place!" he snapped.

"You already had a very strong pain relieving spell," she said. "I didn't want to wait for another potion to work. The faster this is in your eyes, the better chance you will get all of your sight back."

"I might be blind?" whispered George, his voice cracking, as he reached instinctively for his twin. Ginny seemed to hesitate and then brought their two hands together. She started to back away, but Fred used his other hand to keep her close.

"Ginny," he said apparently recognizing her by her magic. "Stay."

Maybe because Fred was expecting the pain, he only sucked in his breath when Madam Pomfrey put the drops in his eyes.

"That's the worst of it," Madam Pomfrey said, to Fred, and then she patted both of their hands.

"We won't really be blind, will we?" asked Fred. They were all so used to Madam Pomfrey waving her wand and fixing everything in an over night stay, that the real possibility that the twins had permanently lost their sight was a horrible thought that none of them wanted to consider.

"There are new potions for Celian acid burns. I have every hope that your sight will be fully restored." Said Madam Pomfrey. "Worrying about it won't make it heal any faster." Then she healed George's broken nose.

"Are you sure?" asked Fred.

"No, worrying is a healing prerequisite," joked George with a pitiful attempt at levity. "Of course she's sure."

"The potion will restore your sight but it may be a while," she warned. "You're not going to walk out of here tomorrow!"

"How long?" asked George as she bandaged both Fred and George's faces so that they looked like identical mummies. "I'll be back in a little while to put ointment in your eyes, but for right now, you need to sleep." They all noticed that Madam Pomfrey did not give them a time frame for how long they would take to heal.

"She could have at least bandaged them differently so that I could tell them apart," said Ron.

"I can tell them apart," said Ginny shortly. "That's Fred. That's George."

"No I'm not," began Fred but Madam Pomfrey stuck a potion's flask in his hands and he drank it. Both he and his twin were asleep in moments.

She pronounced Neville's slashed arm one of the easiest to heal. "A nice clean _Sectum_," she said. "No poisons or venom or obscure hexes." She knitted the tissue together and told him to limit movement in the arm and no magic for twenty-four hours since it was his wand arm. She gave him a potion to drink for blood loss and sent Neville back to the dormitory, since she was short of beds. "I could conjure another," she said, "but it won't be as comfortable as your own bed, Neville. Come back and let me check it in the morning. Remember, no magic through it, or you will be right back where we started from."

Madam Pomfrey looked troubled when she saw Melisande, and after several glances between Ron and the Veela, she decided, Melisande should stay in the infirmary simply because she didn't seem to know where to send her until Dumbledore returned. Harry started to tell her that it wasn't Melisande who had attacked Ron, but Madam Pomfrey ordered his silence and handed Melisande a dreamless sleep. "Drink it now," she said, and watched while the Veela downed the potion. She was also asleep in moments on one of the newly conjured beds.

"Dumbledore—" began Hermione, but Harry shook his head, and she closed her mouth. Harry thought it would be better if Madam Pomfrey got everyone all fixed up before she learned the news about Dumbledore. After all, there wasn't anything she could do about that.

x + x

Suddenly the barrier that Madam Pomfrey had made parted, and Ginny's parents barreled into their corner of the infirmary followed by a tall, thin red haired boy that was obviously one of her brothers.

"It's Percy," Ginny said helpfully.

"Oh!" cried Molly Weasley, looking from one child to another as she stuffed a fist into her mouth, stifling a sob. Seeing that the twins were asleep, she enfolded both Ginny and Ron into a hug, heedless of Ron's bloodied robes and Ginny's reticence.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Ron joked as his mother looked wide eyed at his bloodstained robes and gently touched them. She let go of Ron and pushed Ginny to arm's length to look at her. "Oh, Ginny!" she cried.

"Your turn, Ginny," said Tom mentally. "You can have control of the body. I don't think this is going to be pretty."

_"Oh no," Ginny smirked. "You wanted control of the body, Tom. You've got it. Anyway, didn't you always want a family? Well, now you have to deal with them."_

"Ginny," snapped Tom. "You're getting entirely too Slytherin for your own good. Come out here and be that brave Gryffindor I know you can be."

_"No."_

Molly pulled Ginny into another stifling hug, petting her hair and sniffling. Arthur sat on the bed by Ron, but didn't speak since Madam Pomfrey began working on healing him. The extra brother stood stiffly at his side.

Tom seethed as Molly pushed her daughter to arms length, and without further ado, shoved up her robe sleeve. "Virginia," she snapped. "How did this thing get on your arm?" She tapped her finger impetuously at the edge of the Dark Mark, which caused Tom to try to shrink away from her. It was too much like the scoldings he got at the orphanage, but there it ended. No blows rained down upon him. Molly Weasley didn't wait for her to answer; she just went right on with her rant. "And your brothers said you went willingly! Willingly! Whatever possessed you?" Molly shook Ginny slightly.

Tom winced. "It wasn't really possession," he said hopefully.

"Then what happened at the Ministry?" the brother added.

_"Percy," Ginny said helpfully. "That's Percy. You might remind him I saved him at the Ministry."_

"I—He was a snake, in my hair," said Tom. "I didn't have a choice. I had to do what He said. I tried to help you." Tom looked at Percy and felt tears pricking at Ginny's eyes. Well, tears could be a good thing.

"Why didn't you tell us this was happening?" asked Arthur. "It didn't all happen overnight. Why didn't you tell anybody?"

"I couldn't," sniffed Tom, now blatantly making use of the tears. "I couldn't because of Him and because—because I was scared. I was dreaming of Him."

Molly sucked in her breath and her hug tightened.

Tom sniffed, and continued. "The medi-witches at St. Mungo's said there was nothing more they could do for me anyway. You know that." Tom took a deep shuddering breath as he thought of the medi-witches at St. Mungo's. He didn't have to fake the panic in his voice as the words tumbled over each other in a rush.

"Please don't send me back there," he sobbed. "It hurts. It hurts so bad and they said I might go crazy anyway, and maybe I am, but don't send me back. _Please._ They don't even know if they did any good, and they didn't. They said I would still have flashbacks, but they couldn't help it, and I couldn't let you send me back there. I just couldn't." Tom was clutching at Molly's robes now, practically in her lap, sobbing hysterically. "I couldn't tell you and I made the boys promise they wouldn't tell either."

The last line was a bombshell. Tom felt the attention in the room immediately shift to the boys. The twins were already asleep, and Ron caught the immediate wrath of his parents.

"You knew?" said Molly, looking at Ron.

"You didn't tell us!" said Arthur.

With the attention on Ron, who Madam Pomfrey was trying to heal, the medi-witch suddenly turned, deciding she needed privacy. "Out," she hissed. "This is a hospital. I won't have my patients brow beaten." She shoved a potion into Tom's hand. "Drink," she demanded as she shooed Ginny's parents out of the room. "Out. Out. Out."

"But the twins?" said Molly plaintively as she looked at their sleeping forms.

"Are sleeping," said Madam Pomfrey. "How they managed to even get the exact same injury—" She shook her head. "Celian acid in their eyes—"

Arthur gasped, but Madam Pomfrey continued, "There's an antidote for it now, Arthur. It's bad, but not as bad as it used to be. I've stopped the burning and we've several potions to grow new tissue—" She was leading them away as she spoke. "I expect their sight should be back in a week or so. If you wish we can send them to a specialist at St. Mungo's as soon as the eye tissue re-grows. We won't know if they will need glasses or any kind of corrective vision spells until that time. In the worst case scenario, there are several different types of magical eyes available now."

With the attention diverted from herself, Ginny hissed mentally at Tom. "That is not what family is about, Tom. I don't think I liked you playing Mum like that! It was justjust"

"Slytherin?" Tom provided.

"Oh, I suppose so," Ginny agreed reluctantly. "And I don't like it, but I have to admit, it was an Academy Award Performance, Tom."

"What? Which Academy?" wondered Tom.

Ginny jumped at the chance to show off her knowledge of all things Muggle, learned of course, from her obsessed father. At last something she knew more about than Tom did. "What?" she scathed. "Didn't they have fellyvision at that orphanage of yours?"

"No, actually," Tom said. "And that's television. I was twenty years old before even rich Muggles could afford television in their homes."

"Oh," Ginny replied weakly, forcibly reminded that the age Tom grew up in was very different from her own. 

"I think I could get used to this family stuff though," Tom told her.

He sniffed at the potion Poppy had given him. He recognized the smell: Dreamless Sleep. It might give Ginny a few hours rest even though she was pretty much immune to its effects. "Mediwitch? Could I have something to eat first?" he asked, thinking he would wake up hungry in an hour or so anyway.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I will order something as soon as I have had time to check over the others."

"Thank you, Ma'am," said Tom politely, placing the Dreamless Sleep Potion on the nightstand.

x + x

Once the Weasleys had left, Madam Pomfrey tsked over Ron's wounds, saying that she hadn't seen such Veela wounds since the last night of the Tri-Wizard tournament when some of the Beauxbatons Veelas got a little carried away with several Durmstrang wizards. She gave him a potion to build up his blood and used the last of some other potion to neutralize the poison, but promised that she would ask Professor Snape to brew more on the morrow. Before anyone could comment about Snape, she had _Somnused_ Ron, saying the sleeping spell would be the best thing to allow him to heal. "I will have to work on reversing those scars. Who was the incompetent that tried to heal him?" she snapped, looking at Samara.

"That would be me," said Harry, looking at the floor. "He was bleeding pretty badly, and I didn't know what else to do. I knew I was leaving the poison in him, but—"

"Harry?" said Madam Pomfrey. "You healed those?" She looked like she was in a state of shock. "I've never taught you any healing. As many times as you have been in here, you've never asked. How did you know what to do?"

"I've picked up a little Muggle first aid. I knew I had to stop the bleeding," he said with a shrug. "I had to heal cuts and bruises on myself before."

"When?" she said scandalized that he hadn't come to her.

"Well, when I was at the Dursleys. I wouldn't want to go to a Muggle doctor over the summer, would I?" Harry shuffled from one foot to the other, but said nothing about how often those injuries were inflicted by Vernon or Dudley. He had heard somewhere it was bad luck to speak ill of the dead, and he certainly had enough bad luck of late. Those wounds had been much harder to heal because he couldn't use his wand over the summer and had to just rely on his concentration to do the task, but Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to think of the fact that Harry had to use wandless magic to heal his summer hurts.

"I should say not," she spat. "Muggle doctors! Cutting people open with knives to heal them, and sewing them back up like old robes." She shivered. "The only thing you should have done differently was share some of your magic with him to dilute the poison if you didn't have the potions—"

"Oh—" said Harry.

"He couldn't," Samara said. "He had been bitten. It would have been dangerous for Ron."

"Bitten? What could be more dangerous than Veela poison?" scoffed Madam Pomfrey, just as one of the other medi-witches called for her help.

Harry didn't answer, but Samara stepped forward with a smirk on her face. "Basilisk venom," she answered. "Which reminds me, I really need to feed—" opening her robe and revealing the slithering mass of basilisks, "—them," she finished lamely.

The totally unflappable Madam Pomfrey took one look and gasped, stumbling backwards into one of the other beds.

"Madam Pomfrey!" called one of the medi-wizards from outside their little alcove as the hissing sound of magic hitting a ward was heard along with muffled whimpers. "Poppy! We need you!" the medi-wizard sounded a little panicked.

The whimpers escalated to mad cries.

"Poppy!"

"I'll be right back," the hassled medi-witch promised as she dashed from the bedside, the basilisks seemingly forgotten in her rush to aid the sick and injured.

A flash of magic from the infirmary beyond caused Madam Pomfrey to pull her wand as she approached one of the other beds where presumably someone was having some sort of seizure. Magic was pouring from whoever the poor afflicted person was, and Harry found himself edging towards the doorway to find out what was happening, but one of the young guard Aurors shooed Harry back into the alcove, and suddenly the doorway closed. Opaque and silencing wards went up around their section of the Infirmary blocking out the sight and sound of the seizure.

"Samara, you really shouldn't be showing the basilisks around. They're not puppies," said Tom with one of Ginny's infectious giggles. Harry was hard put not to laugh himself. He was so tired he wasn't quite sure if it was because he thought it was funny or because he was exhausted. With the state of the infirmary and the number of people in it, nothing should be funny, Harry scolded himself.

"I _do_ need to feed them," Samara protested. "They've had an eventful day too, and there was no time to feed them. I was just going to tell her."

"Ah—now we aren't going to get any food—for them or for us," complained Tom. "And I was so looking forward to tasting food again." Truthfully Ginny's stomach was growling and rumbling so loud it could be heard across the room.

"And, she didn't heal the rest of us," said Harry.

"All the rest of us really need is sleep," said Samara. "You will continue to assimilate the basilisk venom and Ginny and I are just exhausted.

"Sleep!" complained Tom. "I need food. I should just go tickle the pear—"

"Do you think you can get by the Auror guard?" said Harry. "To say nothing of Madam Pomfrey?"

"Do you know how long it's been since I've eaten?" said Tom.

"Well, if you had come to dinner you wouldn't be so hungry," said Samara.

"Fifty-four years, trapped in a book!"

Samara shook her head and walked towards the curtained area of one of the beds in their alcove. "I wanted to check on Draco," she said, and Harry was amazed that Samara was right in choosing the bed Draco occupied. She pulled open the curtain to find a very pale and still Vincent Crabbe still sitting on the foot of Draco's bed. Draco was sound asleep. Vincent gasped as Samara pulled open the curtain.

"I believe that's my seat," she said softly, and Vincent stood.

"Of course. I would have went back to the dorm sooner, but Madam Pomfrey—"

"I know," interrupted Samara. "Oh wait a minute, Vincent." She rummaged through Draco's robes and pulled out a bit of shiny material. It was the Invisibility Cloak. "You can use this," she said. "On one condition—you do not give it back to Draco." She glanced at her shoulder at Harry. "Is that alright with you Harry?"

"No," said Harry. "It was my Dad's. It's mine. I"

"You could put a curse on it," suggested Vincent simply. "If I don't have it back to you in timeyou knowthat's what Draco does. I could start puking or break out in boils or start itching"

Harry gaped at him. "I couldn't do that"

"Oh I could," said Samara pulling her wand.

"Nothing on my feet," interrupted Vincent. "It's really hard to run with boils on your feet"

Samara nodded and began muttering an incantation. "You will give it back to me, then, and I expect it back tomorrow morning. I don't know how soon we will need it, before noon should be fine."

"Hey!" said Harry, but Samara laughed at him as she handed Vincent the cloak, and snuggled next to Draco, pulling his sleeping body close to hers. When Ron protested that she couldn't do that, she grinned and said, "Look at this place. Poppy might need the extra bed." Samara magically closed the curtains around herself and Draco.

Tom laughed and picked up the Dreamless Sleep Potion, swirling it around in the flask and frowning. Dreamless Sleep was ineffective if used too often. Wizards and witches, just like muggles, had to dream. If the dream cycle was continually interrupted the dreams would eventually draw on the innate magic of the wizard and the dreams would just break through the potion. After several times breaking through the potion, the dream cycle became stronger than the potion and higher and higher dosages were needed to suppress the dreams. If the potion was increased enough to suppress the dreams at that point, the witch or wizard would revert to having waking dreams, which of course interfered with their schedules and eventually their sanity.

"My sanity" began Ginny.

"Oh, your sanity is already in question, Ginny," Tom thought as he sighed and drank the potion. He immediately began warding one of the beds. "At least if I'm asleep, I won't be hungry."

"Do you think we will sleep?" asked Ginny.

"For a little while," said Tom.

x + x

Vincent left and Ginny and Harry climbed into the last two beds, Ginny still grumbling about being hungry and Harry being very thoughtful. Harry had no idea who was in the other beds. They had all been warded, and it would be rude as well as dangerous to try to see. Besides he was just too tired. "Hermione?" Harry had called softly after a few minutes, but apparently exhaustion had taken its toll on her too. She was asleep. Harry just started to doze off himself when there was a pop of an Apparition, both he and Ginny sprang forward, Harry with wand drawn and Ginny clutching handfuls of fire in both hands. The ward around her bed was crackling madly with her contained magic.

There was a crash as a laden tray fell to the floor and a terrified squeak as Dobby cried. "Harry Potter! Don'ts be hurting Dobby. I comes to bring food. Vincent is saying Harry Potter is hungry."

"You got through the wards," said Harry dumbstruck

"Hogwarts House elves is not barred from any of Hogwarts," said Dobby reasonably, and then his eyes filled with tears. "Harry Potter is not wanting Dobby here?"

Harry put his wand away, and hugged the ugly elf. "Dobby, you are a sight for sore eyes." Shesha tasted the air curiously, "Nice magic," she said and Dobby looked at her.

"Oh Harry Potter," said Dobby. "These is basilisks. Powerful magic," he said with awe. "Old magic that wizards have forsaken." He didn't seem to have any fear of the basilisk and even reached up to pet her.

Meanwhile, Tom had _Accioed _the tray of goodies and was picking his way through it.

"Hey," called Harry. "Aren't you going to share?"

"No," he said. "Elf, bring another tray, and some more hot chocolate to replace what was spilled, and you forgot the marshmallows. Bring more marshmallows, and some raw meat."

Dobby looked up from cleaning the mess on the floor. "Raw meat? But Miss Ginny doesn't like marshmallows," said Dobby confused.

"She does today," said Tom, waving the house elf away. Dobby disappeared with a pop.

"That Dreamless Sleep Potion didn't last very long," said Harry.

"Never does," Tom agreed. "She's immune to it."

"She's—" said Harry, realizing that Tom was referring to Ginny. **_"Accio!"_** said Harry, but Tom caught the errant cinnamon bun that had lifted from his tray and stuffed the entire thing into Ginny's mouth.

"Fo'get it Harry. I have fif'y years t' make up for," he said, speaking around the food in his mouth. "And I don't care about your hips, Ginny," he muttered, sucking the icing from his fingers. "Do a slimming spell—"

"Of course it lasts more than an hour. Who taught you to do the spell?"

"Well, your mother obviously doesn't know. Look at her hips," said Tom.

Harry burst out laughing.

"Oh criminy," said Tom as he looked at Harry. "I was talking out loud again, wasn't I?"

Harry nodded, a smile still on his face. "Don't worry about it. Nothing could have convinced me more that Ginny is still in that body with you."

"She says I'm not to talk about her hips to you," said Tom as he picked up an orange from the tray and then put it down again. "What's taking that house elf so long? It needs a shoe up its arse to get it moving—"

"Don't let Hermione hear you say that," said Harry.

"Noted," said Tom as he put away several more pastries in huge, distinctly unladylike bites, a rapturous expression on his face. "Do you want the orange?" he asked Harry. "My stomach seems to be filling faster than I remembered it filling."

Tom rolled his eyes. "I'm not supposed to talk about her stomach either," Tom confided to Harry, and with a smirk on his face he continued, "How about your tits?" he asked out loud. "Can we talk about those? Or you're A—OW! That was uncalled for," he said.

"Can we talk about the potion you mentioned earlier," Harry asked softly. "And the spell my mother cast?"

Tom didn't answer. He popped another cinnamon bun into his mouth and sat silently staring as if he were a long way away.

With another groan, Harry rolled over and punched his pillow. "I am so sodding sick of Voldemort."

"You and me both," snapped Tom, still looking into the distance.

"Maybe I should have just faced him," said Harry.

Tom shook his head. "There will never be a good time to do it," said Tom. "But attacking him in his own castle puts you at a disadvantage. You were right to wait."

"Oh yeah, and you know that how?" asked Harry. "Every moment I wait means more people are going to die."

"Yes," said Tom.

"You are one unfeeling bastard," said Harry.

"I am not going to tell lies because the truth is impalpable to you," said Tom.

"Why not? Everyone else does," Harry muttered. He grew very quiet, brooding and turning away from Tom. _This was such a nightmare!_ He just wished he could wake up.

"I'll tell you what I know about your mother," Tom said calmly.

Peering up from his pillow, Harry stared. "You will?" he said. He wished he could believe it would be the truth.

"Can't have you thinking I'm an unfeeling bastard," said Tom blithely.

"Why should I believe anything you say?" Harry blurted the first thing on his mind.

"And I don't lie as a general rule, and even unfeeling bastards have mothers of their own—it is fathers they are missing."

x + x

A few minutes later, Dobby returned with a new tray of food and hot chocolate, as well as raw meat for the basilisks.

Tom wondered just how much Harry knew about the spell his mother cast or the potion. Obviously not much if he felt the need to ask _him._

_"Dumbledore wanted to keep him in the dark," said Ginny._

"Yes, well it's a wonder that isn't where he pushed him," thought Tom.

_"What?"_

"Dark. Nevermind," said Tom. "You said that Dumbledore didn't tell him anything? Not even that he is of Meridius' line? Or the reason for all these protections? Why would Dumbledore keep this from him?"

_Mentally, Ginny shrugged. "Power unknown, remember? Speaking of power unknown, we should try to find the Emerald," said Ginny._

"It's given to us, not found," Tom reminded her. "That's Salazar's _Imperio_ speaking not you, Ginny. Forget about the Emerald. I have control of the body and we aren't going anywhere tonight."

_"Yes, but—" Ginny tried to shake her head, and remembered that wasn't under her control either. She was trying to rid herself of the Imperius Curse as she attempted to resume the previous conversation. "Knowing the power exists within yourself doesn't mean that you know how to use it! There's lots of room for interpretation there."_

"Apparently Dumbledore didn't think so, at least that's what Snape said," Tom added.

_"I still think we should try to find the Emerald, Tom."_

Tom sighed.

"So—" said Harry, "Snape told you something about my mother."

"She had green eyes," said Tom. "Emerald green."

Harry frowned at Ginny.

"Green eyes like you, like the eyes of the basilisks—" Tom continued.

"You can't see the eyes of a basilisk," argued Harry.

"Stone basilisks," Tom corrected, his own eyes showing a rather glassy far away look in them.

Harry frowned, thinking that this conversation was going no where. He led it back to his original topic. "You were telling me about my mother," Harry insisted.

"Was I?" asked Tom.

"Yes," said Harry. "There was something Snape told you—"

"Yes," said Tom, turning back to Harry, "but Dumbledore didn't want you to know."

"Dumbledore is dead," snapped Harry. "It doesn't look like he made the right choice does it?" Even as he said the words, Harry felt his stomach clench with the thought of Dumbledore being dead. A huge gaping hole seemed to open inside of him when he thought of the man. Yes, Dumbledore had manipulated him at times, but it was always for good, and now he was deaddead.

"Touchy, Touchy," said Tom.

Harry shook his head, and buried his face in the pillow, the implications of Dumbledore's death rolling over him in huge suffocating waves.

"I really don't know why you are all broken up about Dumbledore," said Tom. "He was a manipulative old bastard. He's been playing you for years, setting you up to be the savior of the wizarding world," Tom sneered. "You would have been well rid of him and his scheming if Snape had actually had the guts to kill him ages ago."

"Well, that's what I'm destined to be, isn't it?" Harry said bitterly. "I was the Boy-Who-Lived before Dumbledore was ever in my life."

"Dumbledore was in your life before you took your first breath," Tom argued.

After a few moments Tom spoke again. "You mother was an Auror. It was perfectly within her power to use _Avada_, and that would have killed my body, but—"

"She wouldn't," began Harry, his face still muffled in the pillow.

"She would," corrected Tom sharply. "Don't interrupt."

Harry closed his mouth, so surprised to be ordered around by the unassuming Ginny Weasley he was startled into silence, and Tom continued.

"The reason she didn't use _Avada_," Tom said as he took another sip of hot chocolate, "is that it wouldn't have destroyed Salazar. Remember, it was common knowledge at the time that he was immortal, at least through the rumor mill. He didn't bother hiding the fact. He rather liked that people looked at him with awe. Still does. Of course, the fact of his immortality had not been tested since Salazar's time, but I'm sure those in the cult didn't doubt that he was immortal.

"From the Ministry side though, the prophecy said your power would work to destroy him. They obviously didn't know what they were doing or who they were dealing with, or how to actually succeed, but in typical Gryffindor fashion they decided to wing it. I don't know how Severus got dragged into this. He must have been head over heels for your mother."

Harry lifted his head from his pillow. "What!"

"Oh—" said Tom softly. He took a deep breath. "That, of course, was not common knowledge, her being a Mudblood—"

Harry had his wand out, but Tom continued as if he hadn't moved.

"Meant that their relationship was doomed from the get go. I wouldn't use that wand," Tom cautioned. "The ward is reflective," he gestured to the magic surrounding his bed, "and you probably feel beat up enough don't you think?" A confused look crossed Tom's face and he paused. "Anyway, I'm helping you, what—Oh." He smirked. "Mudblood," he said finally figuring out what he had said to put Harry off. "Muggleborn," he corrected softly. "Personally, I've always been more offended by the word Muggle," he said, taking another sip of chocolate. "Muggles are vermin. Mud on the other hand is a mixture of two of the great Elementals. Mud is a thing of power. Muggle is a thing of filth."

Tom paused, rolling his eyes and pantomiming mouth movement with his hand.

Harry felt rather nervous. "Can Ginny—I mean will you—" He stopped, frowning when he realized that Tom was paying no attention to him whatsoever. He seemed to be completely engrossed in his mental conversation with Ginny, and to Harry's surprise, he was smiling.

x + x

Ginny had launched into a tirade that would have done her father proud about Muggles being thinking creatures. Most of the speech Tom found vaguely amusing.

"Ginny there are days I doubt you are a thinking creature and you are a witch," he told her. "Muggles are certainly not thinking creatures. They are animals, and they should be slaughtered with the same methods that you would kill a pig for your bacon, or an opossum rooting in your trash. I don't agree with some of Salazar's cruelty, but the world would definitely be a better place without them. You cannot argue that fact."

"You were saying?" Harry interrupted his internal conversation with Ginny.

"OhThat Snape fancied your mother," said Tom simply.

_"Tom, you shouldn't have told him that," said Ginny. "Snape really didn't mean for that to slip."_

"Ginny, don't be naïve. Snape doesn't let slip anything he doesn't mean," Tom said to Ginny.

"I don't believe you," said Harry.

Tom shrugged. "In any case, that has little to do with the spell that was cast: an enchantment that allowed your mother to take your magical essence, to take all that made you little Harry Potter. It would leave you worse than a dementor sucked body, dead in any way that mattered, but the spell only lasted a moment. Wizards are resilient creatures even as babies. Your magic would automatically seek to come back to the wizard it belonged to. Instantly upon completion of the spell, your magical essence would begin to seep back to your body. There wouldn't be time to use this wonderful magic you had.

"That is where the potion came in. The potion was to extend the time that your mother could use the power, and keep your unoccupied body from harm. After Voldemort was dead you would get back your magic. It would trickle slowly back to you. It wasn't like you really needed much—you were only one. No harm no foul—unless they botched it, which they did. They weren't ready when Voldemort came, and that was the end of them. They didn't follow their own rules."

"But that isn't what happened," said Harry. "I don't understand. Why did they go through this elaborate plan in the first place?"

"I would think that was obvious," said Tom. "To save you from what you are going through—have been going through—a childhood throughout which Salazar would try to convert or kill you. Of course when that failed, all Dumbledore could do was prepare you. You didn't for a moment think that he hired my alter-ego for a defense teacher without knowing exactly what he was doing?"

"Quirrell?" Harry's eyes were wide with disbelief. "You think he knew? Dumbledore knew? He couldn't have."

"When did he not know what was going on in his own school, Harry?" Tom shook his head. "However, I do think he planned to be back in time to help you."

"But if he knew it was Voldemort—" Harry shivered. "How could he? I was _eleven_."

Tom nodded. "You had to face him sometime, and the prophecy states you would still be a child when you faced him. Besides at that point, Voldemort had only Quirrell's dubious magical talents. You weren't in too much danger. It was probably more dangerous hiring Lockhart, the stupid git."

"Lockhart," muttered Harry.

"Of course, Dumbledore has obviously kept a tight watch on what was taught, regardless to who was doing the teaching. Lupin had no choice but to obey and Moody was one of Dumbledore's best friends at one time. I find it very strange indeed that Dumbledore didn't recognize the effects of polyjuice. Tell me, could anyone impersonate your friend Ron for very long?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I would know. Even that little time we used polyjuice in the Slytherin common room in second year. I'm sure Malfoy suspectedThere were just so many things that Malfoy expected his friends to know. We were lucky that Crabbe and Goyle are stupid."

"Exactly," said Tom. "and neither Moody nor Dumbledore are stupid."

"True," Harry agreed.

" Dumbledore made sure that you had virtually no defense teachers, at least until Severus."

"But why wouldn't Professor Dumbledore want us to know true Defense Against the Dark Arts? Why would he keep that from all of us by hiring"

"Morons?" Tom supplied. "No. Not from all of you—from you Harry. You were the only one he needed to keep the defense spells from, because if you had nothing else to use, you would fall back on that which Meridius gave you. That which is inherent in your blood and magic—not taught, but a talent—magic unknown."

"But I wasn't the only one in the class! The whole school—Oh Merlin!" Harry groaned.

_"Tom!" snapped Ginny. "The boy has enough guilt on his shoulders without you piling on more."_

"I'm not Ginny," thought Tom. "I'm just telling him what he should have been able to figure out for himself if he had half a brain."

"Don't start with the Ravenclaw superiority thing," spat Ginny. "It's getting old."

_If I weren't surrounded by imbeciles_, thought Tom, and then he continued, aloud,

"Now Harry, there wasn't much point in worrying about the school if the next age was bringing the greatest reign of the Dark that the wizarding world ever saw, now was there?"

Harry felt sick. "He wouldn't do that," said Harry. "Dumbledore wouldn't. He wouldn't risk other people's lives to train me—"

"Oh really," drawled Tom. "What about Ginny? Not that she was really in any danger with me there, but he didn't know that."

"_Liar!" spat Ginny._

"Harry doesn't need to know everything that goes on between us." Tom told Ginny, before continuing aloud for Harry Potter's benefit. "So tell me, why did he let you fight a basilisk at the tender age of twelve?"

"I killed it didn't I," snapped Harry, and Shesha hissed indignantly at Harry's neck, demanding an explanation.

Harry soothed her as he whispered, "Fawkes. Why did she bring the Sorting Hat?" Harry wondered, finally sucked in by Tom's reasoning.

"Indeed," agreed Tom. "A bird, even a smart magical bird, would not think to bring something like the Sorting Hat unless it was given to it. Especially since a phoenix is quite the equal of a basilisk without any help from a little boy with a magical sword."

Harry bristled at the condescending way Tom said little boy, but he didn't rise to the bait. "McGonagall said, 'Dumbledore wasn't there.' He had gone to the Ministry—but he hadn't, had he? He gave Fawkes the Hat—" Harry broke off. "No," he rejected. "Professor McGonagall would not lie to me like that."

"Harry's right, Tom. McGonagall would not lie, even for Dumbledore," commented Ginny.

"Perhaps not," said Tom, "but she wasn't privy to Dumbledore's every move, and since I'm sure Dumbledore knew there were gifts from the Founders in the hat, he may have speculated that you could pull at least one out. He may have told the phoenix to bring it to you in times of danger. He may have indeed been at the Ministry, but nonetheless, he knew more than he told you."

"Anyway, Tom, don't you think you are a bit biased on this topic? You've never liked Dumbledore."

"The man is a menace," Tom said and then his thought continued, trying to convince Ginny of his sincerity. Even you have to see the way he exploits people to his own ends, Ginny. No doubt he would claim it was for the Greater Good, but I see nothing good about what he has done to me or to Harry or even to yourself.

Harry's voice shook as he breathed, "Waswhatever he _was_he's dead now."

Tom allowed a respectful silence to reign until Harry next spoke, "Then the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" he whispered.

"Most certainly planned," Tom continued. "Oh, I quite believe Dumbledore could have pulled enough strings to release you from the competition if he wanted to, but he didn't want to, did he? He wanted you to compete. After all, you had to defeat Voldemort while you still held the innocence of childhood. At the very least, he wanted you to learn from the tournament. He knew that there was foul play, but he thought you, being the Boy-Who-Lived, would triumph anyway, and he not only gambled your life, he gambled all the contestants that way, not just the ones from Hogwarts, but every one of them. Cedric was the unfortunate victim in his scheming. Salazar had no reason to kill the boy. It was Dumbledore who put him into the line of fire."

"I told him to take the cup with me," said Harry, miserably reliving all that happened that fateful night.

"Ah, just like a good little Gryffindor would," said Tom. "But in all fairness, I do think Albus was fooled into thinking that the attack would come on Hogwarts' grounds where he could protect you if the need arose. I do not think it crossed his mind that anyone would charm the cup into a Portkey and whisk you away to parts unknown. And now," Tom shrugged. "Who knows what his latest gambit is."

"Maybe Snape," said Harry.

"Maybe," Tom agreed. "But I'm quite sure that Albus Dumbledore isn't dead. He's still scheming."

Harry didn't answer for a long time, and Tom began to wonder if he had fallen asleep.

_"Perhaps," said Ginny, "But I doubt it. You have given him a lot to think about." She paused. "You shouldn't have told him about Snape. He hates the man enough as it is."_

Tom mentally shrugged. "I see no reason to keep the truth from him. Dumbledore is a fool."

_"You seem to think everyone but yourself is a fool," commented Ginny._

"You are getting much more perceptive," said Tom.

_"I would like my body back now," said Ginny._

"Why?"

_"Because it's mine."_

"Oh no, the fact is, it's ours," said Tom. "Anyway, you aren't going to do anything with it. You were going to go to sleep. Weren't you?"

Ginny's stray thought about Samara and Draco curled up in the same bed, followed by the memory of Harry's tousled hair and sleepy eyes as he listened to Tom's explanation of the events that happened fourteen years ago caused Tom to growl at her, "Go to sleep."

_"I can't help my thoughts," complained Ginny with a teasing giggle. "Anyway, Harry looks so much like you—"_

"He's nothing like me," Tom fumed. "Anyway, Ginny Love, I can't believe you would want to go back to your insipid little Gryffindor crush. Fairytale heroics would bore you to tears—I know you. It would frustrate you no end. Do you really want to spend your life second best to his cause? He will always be the Boy-Who-Lived, or the Boy-Who-Killed-Voldemort, or the Boy-Who-Died-At-Voldemort's-Hands—"

_"Don't even think that!" Ginny said appalled._

"But he will never just be yours. Harry Potter will always belong to the world—"

_"When are you planning on letting me have my body back?" Ginny insisted._

"Perhaps after breakfast," said Tom.

_"Didn't you eat enough tonight?" asked Ginny snidely._

"No," snapped Tom.

_"Touchy, aren't you?"_

"No," said Tom again.

_Ginny let her thoughts wander, and she found herself coming back to the same one that was nagging Tom. "How did you know it would work?" she asked, at last, speaking of their bonding._

"I had nothing to do but read. I studied the Old Magics. I knew the bond would strengthen the magic like nothing else could."

_"There should be a way to break it," said Ginny._

She felt Tom suck in his breath. "Possibly."

_"You would think that the medi-witches would have found it though—" said Ginny._

"Do you really want to do that?" asked Tom. "Twice we have beaten Salazar. Why would you want to try to end it?

_"Bonding is about love, Tom."_

"No it isn't," hissed Tom. "It's about power."

_"Spoken like a true Slytherin." She didn't mean the comment as a compliment and Tom knew it. Ginny was silent as one by one she sifted through the thoughts until she reached the one they shared in the Chamber. "This is so jumbled," she said, "Confused by the medi-witches' interference. I need to see my memory. Not yours. Mine."_

"At some point in the Chamber, they merge you know," said Tom. "I haven't kept this from you, but I have no desire to revisit these memories either." He shuffled uncomfortably. "I will help you to find it," he said. "The bonding spell drew on Old Magic, back in time when magic alone was enough to forge the bond. Blood bonds were preferred, but not necessary, and I didn't have your blood. Salazar did."

_"I remember," said Ginny. "The paper cut I got from the diary."_

"Yes," said Tom. "I had your kisses and your tears. I knew it wasn't enough, not after he got your blood. I needed your consent. You needed to voluntarily allow me to possess you. Only consensual magic would be strong enough to break his hold on you."

_"I see that," said Ginny. "You have kisses and tears and consent, but what did I have? Empty promises. What do I still have?"_

"Be reasonable," said Tom. "I have no body that is mine in this time. Even in the Chamber I had no body—"

_"There's blood," interrupted Ginny. "In the Chamber potion's room—when you needed your own blood for a spell—"_

"Yes," Tom agreed. "There is some of my blood, but given the current circumstances, I don't think it's a good idea to use it—not until he's dead."

_"What? Worried about binding me to snakeman?" sneered Ginny. "I don't know who is worse of a sneaky snake. To tell the truth, looking at these memories, it is hard to tell which was you and which was Salazar. You were so different Tom." _

"I never thought I would survive. It was me or Salazar and I wanted you to choose me—"

_"So you could kill me—"_

"I—I would have been merciful."

_Ginny interrupted with an incredulous thought._

"I would have! Even then I was having reservations. I liked you. I had to get close to you to get your consent. I didn't realize what was happening to me until it was too late. Your soul was wrapped as insidiously around mine as mine was wrapped around yours."

_"But even as a twelve year old, I went into this with a feeling of—of caring at least if not love. You—You didn't go into this as a bonding at all, you just wanted a means to an end—exclusive right to murder me and take my life force for your own: not a binding, possession."_

Tom sighed. "You see the memories Ginny. I can't lie to you. You can see now why when you ignored them, I wasn't anxious to open your eyes." He took a deep breath, "But I swear to you Ginny, it's different now. I'm different. Perhaps living these last few years in your body and associating with Gryffindors has changed me. I would do things differently, now, I think—I don't know." Tom was silent for a long while. "I—I don't know what you want me to say."

_"**I'm sorry** would be a good start," spat Ginny._

"I _am_ sorry," said Tom. "I should give you back your body now." He hesitated and seemed very pensive, his thoughts obscured from her. "I could leave," he whispered at last.

_"What?"_

"I could show you the spell—it's not that hard: lengthy, but not hard. You could do it."

_"Do what?"_

"Bind my memory to an object," he said softly.

x + x

Be a responsible reader. **Review! **It's the only pay I get.

**Answers to Reviews:**

Silverfox1

Yes, there will be more of Darla. Not so much in this book but in the next. As far as floo powder, Salazar, arrogant arse that he is, thought anyone who was uninvited wouldn't get into the room, and if they did, He would be there or Nagini would be there.. He just left the floo powder where it would be convenient for himself, in plain sight on the mantle.

Sugerplumfairy Yes we will see more of Darla, mostly in the next book. This one is almost finished.

Herentas Meridiae

Wow I think yours was the longest review I ever got. Sorry about your computer.

Glad to hear my story is addicting and you are reading until 2 in the morning. LOL. I'm sure you can achieve the same. Yes, I do change the pace momentarily. We have had a lot of stuff happening since the Ministry and then the whole rescue. Now will be some time for reflection, but that doesn't mean the psychological action will decrease.

Neville will continue to surprise you I'm sure. He is indeed a Gryffindor. As far as his being the first to help Tom-in-Ginny-body, Gryffindors don't generally engage in revenge, but they do have a very developed sense of justice, and it certainly isn't just that his parents tormentors are free and they are still in St. Mungos.

The interaction with Ginny and Samara is rather like sisterhood: a very close friendship. Partially it may have originally been because they only have older brothers, but more recently, it is because they have both been forced to grow up a little. They have been under siege so to speak at the Snow Castle. They are Death Eaters, but they are both light and they are both dealing with Slytherin "boyfriends". Finally, there are the basilisks to join them, but I'm not going to say much more about that. You will have to read on.

Reminder: the basilisks' eyes are not open yet. They are born with eyes closed, like puppies.

About the slash scene: What slash?I let the DE come into the room at that time on purpose. For those who enjoy slash, the imagination is much more vivid than anything I could write, and for those who were swicked, they could end the chapter, saying yuk Voldemort is so creepy. I do have to say, Voldemort did nothing more suggestive than touch Snape's face. What you saw was carefully created to happen in your mind, not on the computer screen. Shame on you!

Thanks for this note: "I've found a couple of canon references forced –or it forcible the right word? You worked on the story way before OotP came out, and you clearly state it, you don't have to force canon where the plot doesn't need it. This is a general advice: write what the plot requires, nothing less, nothing more."

I have indeed struggled over some of the canon things that came out with OotP. They weren't their originally, but since this is soooo long chronologically in the writing after OotP, I'm sure some folks tend to find that a liability. Thank you for your vote of confidence.

Check out Yahoo groups, TheSeersTruth, to find a cookie, The Fire Elemental. What happened in the Chamber of Forever.

LifeIsOrange

Thanks for your vote of confidence. I always update soon after I have 15 reviews. Try to find more folks to read and you will have updates sooner. Glad you like Tom.

Sayuri-Kikio

Since you missed the cliff-hanger last time, I hope you are happy now. **Evil laughter.** The forever rose and Sal and Darla will be addressed more in the next story. Lily's potion is rather important, but it is addressed later for those who skipped over these details. As far as Lauren, well someone had to go you know.

cronenus

Yes, Darla is the vampire in the book shop in Knockturn Alley where they got the pensieve and the books. You are not confused. You remembered perfectly. Now the question is, how did she end up at the Snow Castle?

Jager

Faster updates are entirely up to you. Find some friends to read. If I get a flood of reviews on the first book, The Broken Beginning, I may feel nice and update this one sooner. If you answer the questions on group, I will also feel nice…

Elbereth

Yes, I was going to kill off Dumbledore and Snape objected. "He'll damned well stay and suffer this cursed life with me!"

fire-sprite16

We haven't gotten Voldemort's reaction yet, at least not directly. Next chapter, don't worry. And yes, Ginny's still under Voldie's Imperio

Tiamat Warcraft

Yes, the Darla /Salazar interplay brings back the point that this is Salzs in the body.

You ask, When will Tom have a body? He has one…Ginny's…The question is, will he keep it? The most popular meaning for the Lavender rose is Enchantment. Another meaning is love at first sight. Lavender rose is also for the truly Unique, Rarity. And since any shade of purple is associated with royalty, thus Majesty.

Wormtail

Glad you are still reading. Thanks for the review.

Virginia Riddle-Malfoy

Tom does have his sweet moments, but don't count on them. As far as Ginny's bodywell Tom says, it's "ours".

Lirael

I think Tom has thought much about how his life would have been different if his mother lived. What you have to remember in my fic, she didn't die in childbirth. She was killed by the wizarding cult because of her "attachment" to him. I know, sounds like Tom and Harry have one more thing in common. I too like Ginny/Tom but am less attached to Ginny/Voldemort. Of course, my Voldemort is Tom/Salazar so I can't see that happening. Remember Ginny did make Tom that promise to free him from the Evil Dark Wizard. So far she hasn't done a bang up job, but that doesn't mean she's going to quit. Remember she has that Hufflepuff loyalty streak. (Did you know Garth Nix wrote the "Wednesday" book. Why isn't the next Abhorsen book out? Grr.)

You asked: "Maybe I missed something, but have you said yet what Salazar is planning with Dumbledore's body and Snape's polyjuice?" I haven't said yet.

Riddled-Slytherin

Glad you liked the Salazar/Darla stuff. Hope you get moved soon. I know how long it took us to get things back to normal after we moved. It will be 2 years in October and we still have some boxes…

kittybro

You wrote: "NO! What do you mean he'll (Tom) be here for a while longer! He must live and whoop Salazar's ass! And stay with gin forever and ever!" I'll consider it, but know there are some things that even magic has difficulty fixing.


	40. CH 40 The Path of Destiny

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 40**

The Path of Destiny 

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

Lady Lestrange

Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Ennui de Morte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure. At last they escape the Snow Castle for the safety of Hogwarts, but is anywhere really safe?

Ginny reevaluates her relationship with Tom and Harry reevaluates Ginny.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth (underscore between words if it deletes them) also, for more great stories, visit voldemortsreadinglist and add your own Slytherin fiction **after you read and review…**

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 40**

The Path of Destiny 

"Crucio!"

Voldemort clutched his cold fingers around the spell and tried to restrain himself He was so angry, he knew he could easily end up killing the lot of them. Unfortunately, he needed them.

Death Eaters writhed one after the other on the cold snow expanse outside of the Snow Castle. Voldemort's robes whipped in the wind and blood streaked the icy whiteness as it congealed in vivid pools. Voldemort had no mercy for any of them--children or adults alike. He ignored their muttered apologies or answered them with yet another curse. "You have failed! Again!" he cried. "Stupid, useless lumps of flesh, you shouldn't even be called wizards. You have no right to the name of pureblood," he raged. "Crucio!"

His voice trembled with fury. "Harry Potter was here! Here! And you let him slip away, and not alone! He took half the fucking castle with him--both prophecy children! How in the bloody hell did he manage to get the Muggles out! Muggles!"

"Ginny told us we were playing Apparition Tag," shrieked one of the veelas as Voldemort tortured her. "She lied to us!"

"Virginia," breathed Voldemort. "Yes, she lied. When she returns to me with the emerald she will have a surprise--both she and her little friend. Isn't that right Tom?" he asked coldly.

The voice of his nemesis was strangely quiet.

"Crucio!" he spat again torturing the wizard at his feet. Voldemort sighed as he stopped the curse. "( Pick one, Nagini,)" he said. "(You can eat now, but I want you hungry for the attack.)"

"(Too cold,)" Nagini complained unwilling to leave her perch on her Master's shoulders.

"(Choose, and I will apparate you to the fire,)" said Voldemort gently. "(At least you can leave these morons.)"

"(Sissshauss?)" suggested Nagini.

"(I wish,)" said Voldemort lightly, as he looked around at the mess of bloodied and broken Death Eaters.

Nagini slithered forward to a small witch that was quivering and sobbing from her punishment, and began wrapping herself around the witch. Within a few minutes, the witch was still. Then both the snake and the witch disappeared in the mist of apparition.

"We'll get him, Master," said Lucius cautiously. "I promise you--Harry Potter--"

"Bah!" spat Voldemort, disgusted with the bunch of them. He flung a handful of Elemental flames into the crowd setting a large group of the Death Eaters on fire. Above the shrieking he said, "Carman, you and the Inner Circle, gather anyone who is burned. Severus see that they live. Give the rest to the vampires. Only let the vampires feed on two. The rest must be turned. Maybe they will be more obliging as undead than as living wizards."

"Yes, Master," said Carman bending to kiss his robes. She remained there, uncertain of what to do without his explicit direction. Voldemort clenched his teeth at the thought of the power of the curcio and memory charms that did this to her.

"Get up," he snapped. "We have no time to waste here. We must strike while the wizarding world is in chaos contemplating the old man's death." Carman remained stupidly where she was, still rather barmy from Neville Longbottom's _Obliviate._

Narcissa moved to help her mother to her feet, and Voldemort did not stop her. Narcissa told him earlier that Carman remembered most of the common curses, but that didn't soothe his ire. She had lost her earlier memories--memories of him. Longbottom would pay.

"Eldon, you are in charge. See to Carman," Voldemort snapped at the elder Nott, who took Carman from Narcissa's care.

"I know you, don't I?" said Carman in confusion. "You are chaos child."

Nott said nothing without his Master's leave, and the red eyes were shining in anticipation and rage. "Longbottom will pay. I want him alive." The Dark Lord was fairly shaking with suppressed rage as he turned to Narcissa and Valeriana. They flanked Lauren Avery. Marshall Avery followed, throwing worried glances at his daughter and Voldemort in turn.

"You will learn what happens to those who defy me," Voldemort hissed at Lauren.

Lauren shrank silently away.

Valeriana gave Lauren a glare and twisted her arm. "Yes, Master," she hissed at the girl.

"Yes, Master," the girl parroted.

A small group of the Inner Circle gathered the Death Eaters and separated them, healing those who were burned and taking those who were not to the vampires. When one Death Eater realized where he was going, he launched himself onto one of the burning fires. His robes immediately went up in flames.

Eldon Nott levitated him out towards the vampires anyway, but Voldemort stopped him. "I will reward his initiative," said Voldemort. "There is too little of it in the ranks. What is your name?" Voldemort asked.

"Flint. Marcus Flint."

"You shall live," said Voldemort. "See that you do not disappoint me again."

"My life is yours, Master," the young man sobbed.

"Yes. It is." Said Voldemort, "But if you disappoint me again, your death will be mine."

Cringing the Death Eater backed away and fell on trembling legs. "Severus, take care of him," Voldemort demanded.

"Right away, Master," said Snape hurrying forward.

Voldemort noticed that Lauren threw a pleading glance to her professor before he began

petting Lauren's hair with his long cruel fingers and drawing her close to him. "Now," he said, "It is time for you to earn my mercy." He tipped her face up to his and whispered. **"Legilimens!"** His breath made little clouds in the cold air and the girl shivered. The thoughts of how to escape him filled her mind, but he dug deeper, seeking how Harry Potter had managed to elude him. She mewed in pain at his intrusion, but gave up no secrets. With a growl, he realized that he wouldn't find what he sought.

"You were obliviated," he snarled with disgust.

"Yes, Master," agreed Lauren still shivering.

"Who?" asked Voldemort with the fingers of his magic still deep in her brain.

"I don't know," the girl answered, her face crinkling in confusion. If the girl was stupid, he would have taken apart the memory charm right now, and be damned with whatever was left of her. However, she was an Avery and Valeriana and Narcissa wanted her intact. They had served him faithfully. They deserved to have her, and perhaps her addition would be a balm to Valeriana's dementor ravaged mind. He stayed his hand. There would be time later to sift slowly and carefully through her memories doing minimal permanent damage. He would find out who betrayed him although the finesse with which she was_ obliviated_ lead him to believe that it was indeed Virginia, but perhaps not Virginia alone.

Valeriana's and Carman's injuries angered him beyond belief. They were _his_ witches. _His! _No one had the right to touch them but him. The dementers were a part of war, but the thought that Carman's memory of his younger self was gone, ate a hole in his gut that would only be filled with vengeance. The Gryffindors would pay: Harry Potter and Longbottom…and Virginia. Her betrayal stung the most. He had almost begun to trust her. He should have known that trust would bring him grief. The anger was boiling in him, dangerously close to the surface. He forced himself to contain the raging magic within him.

Control. He was no young amateur with barely controlled emotions, when he punished, when he killed, even if it was done swiftly, it was not done with rashness. He was no impulsive Gryffindor. Contrary to what many of his Death Eaters thought, he was not rash He weighed the options and contemplated the consequences and then made a decision. The fact that he usually did this with lightening quickness, caused many to believe that he acted hastily: especially when he killed his own. He did not. He craved power above all, and power did a delicate dance with control. He was not willing to sacrifice either even to satisfy his need for revenge. He had waited long for this day. A little more patience would not hurt his cause. When he re evaluated his plans, he realized, it was time to cut away the dead weight. The force that struck, had to be absolutely invulnerable: a team so in tune with each other that they could act as a single unit, united through the Mark. There could be no question of his orders once they reached Hogwarts. There was no room for error. Any who were not utterly loyal, he needed to cull. He had no pity for any because of their age or inexperience. He could surround himself with only the best, and he reminded himself, there were replacements for those he killed among those purebloods taken at the Ministry. It was amazing how quickly they recanted their Muggle loving ways, once they saw a few dead bodies.

Without further incident he grasped Lauren's arm ripping back her sleeve. The smell of burning flesh mingled with the acrid smell of blood as he placed the Dark Mark on her with brutal effieciency. "Blood and Magic mingled," he murmured. "Morsmordre!" as her screams pierced the air and the pain brought her to her knees. He dropped her on the snow, as she continued to convulse and shriek. Her father hurried to her aid.

Voldemort watched them for a moment with cold eyes and then drew Lauren, still shaking and disoriented to her feet. He pulled her roughly from her father's embrace. Shaking and crying and nearly incoherent with pain, she snarled at him. "I hate you!"

Voldemort turned in a move so fast that his hand was nearly a blur. **"Sectum!"** The spell sliced through Mar**shall's leg effectively crippling him, and he cried out clutching the bleeding appendage. "Accio!"** said Voldemort and Marshall's wand shot to his outstretched hand. Lauren tried to pull out of Voldemort's grasp, but he held her fast. She was entirely too weak to oppose him in any way.

"No!" she screamed. "You promised me you wouldn't kill him!"

"You promised me compliance," he fumed. "It seems I need a hostage. Leave Avery in the snow." Voldemort kicked one of the moaning wizards out of his way as he started back to the castle. "Clean up this mess," he said waving vaguely at the bodies and gore.

"Yes, Master," said Nott.

Yes, Master," Carman parroted.

"No, please. I'll do anything," cried Lauren sinking to her knees as he dragged her forward.

"Lauren! No!" shouted her father.

Voldemort ignored them both.

"He'll _die_ out here in the snow," Lauren cried, struggling to her feet and following by grabbing Voldemort's elbow. "You promised--"

"I promised _I_ wouldn't kill him," said Voldemort shaking her off. "They say, freezing to death is a peaceful way to die, enfolding into the Elementals, wind and water-- Of course, I wouldn't know."

"Harry trusts me," pleaded Lauren immediately seeking an advantage. "He didn't want to leave the Snow Castle without me. I can help you. Please let me help you! Please--Master--let me serve you." She put her face in her hands sobbing hysterically and he stopped.

"That's better," he said tipping her chin up to draw a finger along the side of her face. "Was it Potter who _obliviated _you?"

She screwed up her face obviously trying to remember. "I don't know--Please--" she begged. "It might have been--I think it was Ginny though. I'm not sure."

Voldemort nodded thoughtfully. "Go back to Hogwarts," he told Lauren. "See to it that Ginny returns to me with the emerald."

"Yes, Master--then you will let my father come into the castle--Let his injuries be tended--"

"You are in no position to make demands."

"Please," she begged, still shaking with reaction to his placing the Mark.

"When the emerald is in my hands," he said with horrible gentleness and then he addressed Carman and Nott. "I cannot suffer these fools. Keep them away from me. I need to think."

He turned with a flurry of robes and walked back towards the castle, leaving Lauren and her father both in the snow. Lauren would have followed him to plead for her father, but Valeriana and Narcissa stopped her. "Hogwarts," said Narcissa firmly.

"But my father will die out here!"

"Wizards are sturdy folk," said Valeriana with a feral gleam in her eye, and a mad laugh. "I'll see to it that your father lives--at least for a while--but don't betray the Master. I would hate to lose you when we have just found you."

Sobbing too hard to concentrate, Lauren let Narcissa Apparate her to the clearing outside of Hogwarts' wards.

"Lucius," Voldemort asked. "How many of the purebloods that we captured from the Ministry are ready to take the Mark?"

"Twenty three with no reservations. Nearly another fifty, Master, with your promise to spare the mudbloods in their immediate families." Lucius paused. "Do you wish to reveal your plan to the Death Eaters before we reach Hogwarts? I'm afraid some may be dismayed by your announcements."

"They will not speak," said Voldemort with confidence. He looked out across the carnage. "Loyalty is fleeting, but fear holds many tongues, Lucius."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Attend me," Voldemort said abruptly striding towards the castle.

Lucius followed in his wake.

When Voldemort entered the castle, Nagini was lying glazed eyed by the fire. She was sated and asleep. Voldemort didn't bother her. Lucius followed and waited patiently for the Dark Lord to speak to him, but the Dark Lord seemed to have forgotten his very existence. Instead of speaking, he sat in his throne like chair and contemplated his mistakes. Where had the plan gone wrong? Certainly Dumbledore shouldn't have gotten away from the Ministry, but that was corrected. And how did Harry Potter get in? Dumbledore he thought. Somehow, he must have passed on some knowledge to the boy before he died. What was it?

He stood at the large window and surveyed the wall of ice and waste that surrounded the Snow Castle. A lone figure crouched in the frigid expanse: Marshall Avery. Splotches of blood and gore marred the landscape, but it was snowing again. The snow would reclaim its land and there would be no sign of the tortures perpetrated here today. Soon, the snow would cover all the blood with a blanket of innocence and all would be quiet for hundreds of kilometers beyond the boundaries of the mountains. It was inconceivable that any one could find this place. How had Dumbledore discerned its location? There was only one explanation, thought Voldemort as he idly fingered his wand. He still had a spy.

"There is still a spy in my ranks," Voldemort said to Lucius. "Possibly in the inner circle."

"Master," said Lucius. "I regret that--"

Voldemort held up a hand for silence. "The plans made here will be for your ears only," said the Dark Lord.

"Yes, Master. I am honored."

"Indeed you are," Voldemort agreed. After a precautionary search of Lucius' mind with his legilmency, they proceeded with planning their strategy. After they had finalized the plans for the upcoming events, Voldemort noticed Lucius reserved attitude. "You do not approve?" he asked lightly.

"Oh no, Master. Of course I approve, if my approval means anything--"

"Of course it does, Lucius," said the Dark Lord, taking a strand of Lucius white blonde hair between his fingers, and legilmizing the Death Eater, once again, searching for some hint of who the spy might be. "I have just revealed my entire plan to you."

"And it's brilliant as always," said Lucius. "I only wish that I could see all the Muggles die."

"So do I," said the Dark Lord, "But we all have to make sacrifices. The vampires will be more than efficient to neutralize those who have not fallen in the Muggle war."

"How goes the Muggle war?" asked Lucius.

"The first of the poisons were portkeyed to the various locations at the same time as we were liberating the Ministry." A look of satisfaction passed Voldemort's eyes. "The Muggles we have recruited hate each other with an almost magical intensity. It's amazing really. I think we can be certain that the populations of several countries will be decimated by this afternoon, and the vampires can enter the poisoned areas with impunity. They can finish off the stragglers. The potions are much safer than leaving things to chance as I did with Germany."

Lucius nodded. "No bombs this time."

"And no interference with the magic," agreed Voldemort. "The vampires in Azkaban with the other creatures have been long deprived of their potions, and the newly made vampires will be ravenous. We will follow up with the werewolves on the full moon."

"Yes, Milord," said Lucius. "Will you be needing additional funds for transportation?"

"No," said Voldemort. "We have the embezzled funds from the Muggle money accounts at Gringotts and of course the floo is ours. I'm confident of our success in the wizarding world, even if the Muggles don't turn out to be as compliant as I wished. After all, with Dumbledore dead, I expect the Potter boy will panic."

"I'm confident too," Lucius said, and silence descended.

"Will there be anything else, Master?"

The Dark Lord's eyes were drawn to the window and the huddled figure out there. "Have one of the house elves bring in Avery. I want him cleaned up and presentable within the hour. Tell him his daughter will pay for any misbehavior on his part, and send someone out to find a descent healer." Voldemort was wondering why the wards on his room didn't hold, and Avery was the only one smart enough to be able to make a guess. He might even be able to tell who, if anyone, was hit by the multiple curses the surrounded the ward to Voldemort's private chambers.

"Sir?" questioned Malfoy, but the look in Voldemort's eyes forestalled any argument. "Right away, Master," Lucius agreed, but Lucius thoughts were filled with trepidation as he searched for an excuse to give the chosen healer. How was he supposed to get a healer to come, when they tended to end up dead themselves? The thought was immediately squashed. His Master did what had to be done.

Ginny felt all the emotion of the years she had known Tom rise up in her as she heard Tom speak in her thoughts. "I could show you the spell—it's not that hard: lengthy, but not hard. You could do it."

_"Do what?"_

"Bind my memory to an object," he said softly.

She felt as if he had struck her. "I don't want you to go away," she cried. "I want you to want me!"

Tom's magic swirled around her, enveloping her, and for a moment, it felt like he was just holding her.

"I don't want you to ever go away," she cried. "I want--I want your consent to this bond. I'm tired of it being one sided."

"It never was one sided, Ginny, but I don't have a body. I'm just a memory. This can't end well for you. I should let you go."

"No! I want you to say the words--" 

"Ginny…" she felt the intention of his magic, to leave for her or to stay for her, as she wished.

_"I want your consent," Ginny persisted. "I want your full consent for this bond, to allow your magic to flow through me, as mine flows through you."_

"So be it," said Tom and then he was silent. Perhaps he was speechless. After a long while, he said, "I'm glad you wanted me to stay."

_I want you to stay, always," she repeated._

"Good night, Ginny Love." He waited for a few minutes and then said, "Do you want your body back?"

_"No," laughed Ginny. "You can have breakfast first. I trust you."_

"I know you do," he said. "It amazes me."

They lay for a long while, exhaustion wearing down their coherent thought and sleep slipping just out of reach.

_Ginny tried to figure out just what was wrong now. She felt content. At last, they had defined exactly what their relationship was, but she knew Tom had something else on his mind: something he wasn't ready to share with her._

Tom was lying very still with both hands on his stomach just above his navel. The soft thin material that Madam Pomfrey had conjured as night clothes allowed the heat of her body to travel into her hands. Tom twisted them together and then willed them not to move.

Although Tom had existed in her body for the past four years, this was the first night he was in control of it since that far away time in the Chamber of Secrets, and then, he had had an agenda to fulfill. Now he did not.

_"Tom?" she thought._

He shifted uncomfortably on the sheets, pulled up the blankets and placed his hands above his head. The soft swell of her breasts was partially visible above the blankets in the dim light. He did not look away. He clasped his hands together under his head, and took a deep slow breath, willing himself not to move, but Ginny could taste the acrid scent of his magic against her skin and Visha would not be still. His eyes watched the slow rise and fall of her breasts half hidden beneath the blanket.

_"Tom?" she called again._

"Hmm?"

_"Are you sure you want me to sleep?" she asked._

He took a slow ragged breath. "No."

There was a long pause and at last Ginny asked, "That ward you put up, it's sound proof and opaque, isn't it."

Tom snorted. "What do you think?"

"Of course it is," she said, thinking no one short of Voldemort himself would get through Tom's wards. " I was just checking. No Death Eaters at the door?"

"No," he breathed.

"No floo to get out of--" she asked.

"No."

_"No brothers looking over our shoulders? No distractions?"_

"No."

The silence echoed, the soft crackle of magic and Visha's soft hissing the only sound. _"It's different now," she said, picking up on what he had said just before he took her over and apparated. "Different from what happened in the Chamber--"_

"Yes?" He froze, holding utterly still in that posture of controlled expectation that he had.

"It is," she said. "You love me."

"Yes," he sighed, as if relieved that the truth was finally out, and he didn't have to say it.

"Good thing," she joked. "Since you aren't going anywhere."

He chuckled softly and she noticed that his hands had crept up to her breasts and were gently smoothing the wrinkles from the night clothes and making her shiver.

"Mmm," we're missing something," she said.

"My body?" he quipped.

"Well, that too," she said laughing as she enfolded him in her magic. "But I meant shared magic."

He took another slow deep breath. "I should give you back control of your body." He did not speak out loud, but directly to her mind, as if he didn't quite trust the control he had over the voice.

"Oh?" She was both surprised and pleased by his sudden admission. She hugged him to herself as if she would never let go, suffusing them both with her magic in a powerful rush, and Visha slithered against her hissing with delight, her iridescent scales shining in the muted light of the hospital wing.

He returned the rush of magic with one of his own, and whispered. "I want to touch you: to touch your skin."

She pulled herself away momentarily. "You are in my mind, controlling my every motion, sharing magic, and you are asking permission to touch my skin?"

"Well it is your body," Tom explained.

"I thought it was ours," she said.

She felt him smirk at her. "Right," he said. _"Ours."_

"So what was Dumbledore's latest gambit?" Harry wondered as he lay in the hospital bed his thinking alternating, between wishing he had a dreamless sleep potion and being glad that he wasn't forced to sleep just yet. He had too much to think about--too much to do. None of it was pleasant.

Shesha stirred restlessly at his wrist, and he turned feeling rather than seeing the haze of magic surrounding Draco and Samara. A similar haze was forming around Ginny. He had never been able to sense that before and yet bit by bit this new power was coming to him: the ability to sense magic around him. He stared for a moment at the other three beds, the ones that were occupied before they came in. He sensed something similar from all of them. Light, he decided, at least two of them were light wizards--no Dark Mark-- the third seemed--Harry shivered. He could sense nothing from the third bed and he wondered if the occupant had died. He closed his eyes and decided not to think about it. Surely Madam Pomfrey would know if one of her patients had died even if she was hassled and overworked. He was glad that Light wizards occupied the other two beds, but he found that he wasn't as intolerant as he once was. When he had first noticed that he had the power to pick out the Death Eaters with his eyes closed, he would have been appalled to sleep in the same room with a Death Eater, but he realized now that it wasn't as simple as finding a magical tattoo. A fine prickling along his skin, a sense of unease told him who bore the Dark Mark, but now he was sensing something quite different from Samara and Draco--it came to him suddenly why the magic felt familiar. It felt strangely like flying. He examined this variation, closing his eyes and thinking, Air Elemental. Samara had said he used it while flying. Sweet Merlin, he could use a good long flight right now. Even though he was exhausted, he didn't feel like sleeping. He tossed and turned a while trying to get comfortable. He had been in this room enough that it almost felt like his own room, and yet it was the first time since he had gone to get the girls out, that he had time to think. They had almost botched it. They had taken too long. Snape had said ten minutes, and he was right, and yet, Snape--Harry halted that line of thinking. He wouldn't think about Snape. If he thought about Snape, he thought about Dumbledore. He couldn't.

He had rescued the girls. The mission was a success. He had succeeded in rescuing the girls, and yet he felt guilty because he had left Lauren behind. Several weeks ago he would have said it didn't matter. She was only a Slytherin. She probably belonged there. Now, he no longer felt that way. He felt like he lost her; just like he lost Cedric.

Harry had just started to doze when his scar exploded in pain. He awoke screaming, came awake in a world blurred with pain, his throat constricting. He sucked in his breath and gritted his teeth, trying not to scream. He wasn't in his own bed, he was in the hospital wing with so many others who were hurt or even dying: he couldn't let them hear him screaming. His scar burned with wave after wave of fire each hotter than the last attack, dripping an acid slime into the secret places in his brain and within his head he could feel the crawling disgusting slime of the Dark Lord's thoughts burning within his brain. "Occlude. Occlude," he told himself, but the Dark Lord's amusement told him it was already too late, and a low moan escaped his gritted teeth. With effort he set a silencing spell on himself.

"Yes," whispered Voldemort "You know I can make you scream."

Usually he knew who Voldemort was torturing, but not this time. It felt as if it was _crucio_, directed straight at him. For a few minutes he fought it, and finally he gave into the pain. As Voldemort's burning hate bored into him, his teeth unclenched and he couldn't help himself.

The whimpers again became silent screams as Voldemort hissed into his brain, "I don't appreciate the pain you have caused those in my ranks. Take care of my girls, Harry. I will be wanting them back, you know, and you too. So soon. Very soon now. I will call you and you will come. You will Apparate to me.

"I won't."

The pain drilled into his brain with hot ferocity. "Oh, I think you will."

The sharp acid of his words dripped and twisted inside of him, vivid even in his half dreaming state, and he felt very hot: feverish. He kicked at the blankets in his sleep trying to rid himself of them. It was so hot, so unbearably hot, he felt as if his head was filled with hot oil. He took several quick gasps of air through the pain, struggling not to cry out again He gritted his teeth as the heat and pain increased.

So Voldemort has discovered his Prophecy children are gone, Harry thought, and he has discovered who took them. So the Dark Lord knows. I knew it would come to this.

It's over, thought Harry. Professor Dumbledore is dead and if Voldemort can reduce me to this without even being in the same room with me, how can I possibly defeat him?

"You can't," Voldemort agreed. "All you can do is join me."

"Never," snarled Harry. "I'll never join you."

"Oh you will," Voldemort chuckled. "not as you expect, but you will."

Harry felt Voldemort tighten the grip on his mind. The rolling constrictors reminding him dimly of a snake crushing it's prey, the inexorable pressure of the earth plates grinding together and crushing him while the molten magma poured into his brain. If he could have drawn a full breath into his lungs, he would have screamed.

The silencing spell would keep the others from knowing, he thought. No one would know what was happening to him, but he needed them to know. He needed to wake up: to pull himself out of Voldemort's clutches, but the laughter and the pain just went on and on.

When Harry finally came back to himself Ginny was on one side of his bed and Samara on the other. The pain had dulled to a manageable level. Someone's cool damp hand was laid across his forehead, and he heard muffled voices in the dark. His chest ached as if he had been actually crushed by the snake's coils and his bed was wet, not just sweaty wet, but really wet. For one awful embarrassing moment he thought he had pissed himself. It was certainly possible given the intensity of the Dark Lord's tortures, but he reminded himself the Dark Lord was not here, unless you counted Ginny. Harry groaned as he realized he heard Ginny's voice through the roar of flames in his head. She was impossibly close to him.

"Yes, I'm sure it's Salazar," muttered Ginny. "Do you really think I don't know what his bloody magic feels like?" Harry tried to jerk away from her touch, as a definite sense of someone elses' mind near his caused him to panic, but the flames seemed to be subsiding and a healing spell seemed to be interfering with his movement.

"Draco, I thought you were helping," snarled Ginny. "We need some drying charms here. We're practically drowning in Water Elemental."

"But surely Harry could occlude some of it," said Draco, as he dried the Water Elemental that was cooling Harry's forehead and cascading into the bed itself.

"Like you can occlude the Dark Mark," snapped Samara.

"But he doesn't--" began Draco, but Harry didn't hear him. He felt magic surrounding him, soothing and calming him. He was floating on a warm calming sea. It was still too hot, but it was definitely better. The whole feeling frightened him a little bit. He felt like he was on the edge of a precipice, the edge of a discovery, the edge of a vast ocean, beckoning him and his mother was there, smiling at him, but then she sank beneath the waves and was gone.

Dumbledore had told him his mother's love saved him, but in some ways Harry knew that all the pieces didn't fit. If love was the opposite of hate, then the shielding should have been for the hate spell, crucio, but obviously crucio wasn't shielded. What could possibly block Avada? Some said nothing because nothing could block death, and yet something--something in him or in Meridius or in his mother or in the Elementals themselves had certainly stopped death, and did more than that. It turned death around and shot it back at the caster--first at Voldemort and then at Laurel Avery. Strong as a mother's love might be, it wasn't the equal of Death. What was the opposite of death? Life? What did that mean? Was it just death, or could he in some way manipulate the spell itself. That was unheard of. Someone couldn't control another's spell! Harry remembered what Hermione had said so long ago when they were talking about the Sorting Hat spells, no one could manipulate another's spell unless it was purposefully left open for that person, and Harry was quite sure that Voldemort was not leaving his Avada open in the hopes that Harry would step in and finish it on himself!

Harry opened his eyes to see Ginny sitting on the edge of his bed, the palm of one cool hand pressed against his burning forehead, the other twisted in his sheets and gripping them tightly. Her face was screwed up in concentration so pale that every freckle stood out in the muted lights of the hospital wing. Her eyes were closed. Behind her, with a hand on her shoulder, and another on Harry's cheek, was Samara. Samara's hair hung in tangled curls. She used no wand, but he felt the awesome expanse of her healing power and leaned into it, drinking deeply and letting her soothe the ravages of Voldemort's attack. Draco stood with them, his embrace, was holding Samara upright, gripping her waist, his cheek against her neck. The basilisks were all around them; silent as death.

"Say something, mate," pleaded Fred as he turned his bandaged head towards the wall beyond Harry's shoulder.

"Is he alright?" asked George with the same urgency.

Samara blinked at Harry. "He's awake," she said, as Harry raised his hand to cover Ginny's on his forehead. He clasped it and took it from his face, but he didn't want to pull away from Samara's healing and some of the longing must have shown in his eyes, because Draco hissed at him, "Hey Potter, she's my girlfriend!"

Ginny's hand still in his own, he felt the assessing quality of Ginny's touch and she looked at him with calculating eyes. Harry yanked back as he realized this was NOT Ginny.

"How did you learn to do that?" asked Harry in wonder, staring at the group of them.

"It's a shared spell, idiot," snapped Draco annoyed, but Harry sensed it was something more. He positively felt Draco closing off from him.

"Malfoy? Draco?" whispered Harry.

"What is it, Potter?" Draco snapped back.

Harry stared at Draco, thinking that all they had been through together, should have allowed him to call the Slytherin Draco, but now that they were back at Hogwarts, he was once again Malfoy, and Harry couldn't figure out exactly what the Slytherin was doing to help, but he was quite certain he was trying to help. At least he was until a few minutes ago, then all the Slytherin walls came crashing back around him.

"Was it all an act?" Harry asked.

"We had a deal," sneered Draco, "I fulfilled my part; you have yet to fulfill yours."

We got Madam Pomfrey," Ron announced breathlessly, and a moment later Madam Pomfrey bustled up to his bed, and Harry noticed Ron, tousled and worried, with Hermione behind them, pocketing her wand, as she leaned between Draco and Ron to see how Harry was feeling.

"Get away from me, Mudblood," sneered Draco, and Hermione jumped back as if burned and Ron pulled his wand. Madam Pomfrey hushed them, threatening to put them all to sleep with a somnus spell, and Ron put away his wand.. While they were occupied, Samara flipped the blankets over the contingent of basilisks on his bed and Harry wondered if someone had done a memory charm on the medi-witch or she hadn't had time to deal with the basilisks yet due to the fact that she has so many patients, at least one of whom was in obvious distress.

She tut tutted, and shooed the others back to bed now noting the late--or early hour--stating that they should probably all have a dreamless sleep potion, "except you Ginny." The Medi-witch's eyes flashed in anger or exasperation. "You'd better have _somnus_--at least four hours," she said shortly and she promptly pronounced the spell. To Harry's surprise, Ginny didn't attempt to argue or block. She simply crumpled under the spell. Madam Pomfrey caught her with a levitation charm and placed her back in her bed. She passed out the dreamless sleep and waited for all to drink, so Harry was unable to ask Ginny what exactly she and Samara had done to stop the pain in his scar. The possibilities were not something he wanted to dwell on anyway. It bothered him somewhat that Ginny had succumbed so easily to Madam Pomfrey's _somnus._ Even less pleasant was the way Voldemort had reached out directly to him as if he wore a Dark Mark, but he was Marked, he sighed. "marked as his equal… but he wasn't his equal. Voldemort was so much more powerful than he was. It was ridiculous.

The prophecy rolled unbidden through his consciousness.

As his equal the Dark Lord will mark

A child whose power he knows not

Another child invited into the dark

And a child who was not sought

Either must die at the hand of the other

Neither can live while the other survives.

Protected once by the love of his mother

Blood of a mother forever saves lives.

At the height of the Dark Lord's Power

A Babe will lay him low.

Yet he will arise through his flower

Essences of friend, father and foe.

For within have snake and phoenix warred

But Phoenix must surely rule

For this bird rises again and again

And Eating Death is the fuel.

Will he Riddle the past with pain

Or Riddle the future with glory?

Six lives or deaths hang in time by three

Brave children who'll mend the story.

The foe unnamed falls to magic unknown

Magic born as the seventh month dies.

By magic and blood the rift is sown

Devoid of all time. Devoid of all lies

Of course, if part of a prophecy is true, it follows that it all must be true. There was no way around it. Kill or be killed.

Madam Pomfrey did not give Harry a potion. Instead she sat at the bedside chair. "I see your physical injuries are coming along nicely, Mr. Potter," she said. "Are you…alright?"

Harry nodded obligingly and stifled a sob.

"Mr. Potter, let me rephrase that," she said. "You have been in this infirmary enough times for me to know when you are _not_ alright." Her voice softened, the hub of the hospital going on without her. For the moment she was listening to him alone. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Pr--Professor Dumbledore is dead," Harry blurted.

She waited a moment before speaking. "We thought…we all thought he was dead when he vanquished Grindlewald. Magically, the taking of a life force as strong as a Dark Wizard, usually takes a great deal of power. I'm sure Albus Dumbledore would not die, until he was darned good and ready to do so."

Harry smiled thinly at her. He didn't want to disillusion her, but he saw Dumbledore's dead body and told her so.

For a moment she looked very old, almost as old a Dumbledore himself. He didn't know how long she had been a mediwitch at Hogwarts but if she was present at the fall of Grindlewald, she was certainly not as young as he had originally thought her to be. "I didn't ask about Albus Dumbledore. I asked about you," she said gently.

Harry hung his head and stared at the white sheets twined around his hands. "Everyone expects me to do it," he said. "There's a prophecy…" he stopped uncertain if he should continue, but Madam Pomfrey nodded her head.

"I know of it," she said.

"He explained the prophecy anyway, pouring his heart out to the mediwitch who had so many times healed his body, and nearly as many times his soul."

"I can't wave my wand for this one, Harry," she said.

"I know." Harry's shoulders slumped. "So many people have died," he said, "and so many more will die until I kill him…but…" Harry shook his head.

"You're not alone," said Madam Pomfrey.

"But don't you see? That's the whole problem. I'm not alone. If I could count on Voldemort keeping his word, I would have called him out to duel long ago, but I can't and as long as I can't, people will die."

"People do die," said Madam Pomfrey.

"But …

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but Madam Pomfrey stopped him. "I have been a healer for over half a century. I have lived through two wars, Grindlewald, and the first rise of Voldemort, Tom Riddle..."

Harry looked up at her when she said Voldemort, and Tom Riddle. He noticed that her soft brown eyes were misted. She didn't seem to be talking to him at all, but staring off into the reaches of the infirmary, seeing other patients, another time.

"I know what war is like. I know how it feels to lose family…friends.. those near and dear to our hearts, and when it is all said and done, another Dark Lord will rise.

"Then what's the point?" asked Harry.

After a moment's contemplation, Madam Pomfrey answered, "That's what separates us from the Muggles," she said. "We do not only have the means to destroy. We also have the means to create…dark or light…there is always hope at the bottom of Pandora's Box.

"And healing," said Harry. "We also have the means to heal."

"And heal," she agreed. "Don't let the future trouble you so," she said. "What will happen will happen. When the time comes, you will make the right choice."

"Don't you believe in the prophecy?"

"I believe the future is unwritten.´ She paused for a moment. "Do you want a sleeping draught?" she asked. "Or _somnus_?"

"No," he said, "I need to think."

The mediwitch nodded and started to go, but Harry called her back. "Madam Pomfrey? Everyone thinks I…well you know…with Voldemort and all and I am good at defense…" He blushed thinking that he was being rather bold, and yet it wasn't false pride. He was good at defense. "Everyone thinks I will be an auror, if I survive, but if I survive. I don't want to be an auror. I've seen enough killing to last me forever. I want to be a healer…sort of balance things out."

She smiled at him. "I never thought you would be an auror, Harry," she said. "You aura is all wrong for such work."

"Aura," said Harry. "You see auras?"

"Most healers do to some extent," she commented. "See in the visual sense or sense with their magic. How else could they figure out what to do with an unconscious or even recalcitrant patient?"

"Madam Pomfrey," Harry said. "Dumbledore wanted me to …but I don't think I can kill him," he whispered.

"Then don't," Madam Pomfrey replied.

**Answers to Reviews:**

The only pay I get is your reviews. Don't be so tight fisted with them. They don't cost you anything. Geeze. You'd think you were writing them with a blood quill. Just a few words are such encouragement to authors. I know: whine, whine, whine. It's just, I'm nearly finished with this story and although I planned a third part, if you are bored, I could write more on a Dark Ginny that I've been fooling with instead. Or maybe go for the Sarek/Amanda fic I have started, (Star Trek) and change gears altogether. Your reviews (or lack thereof) would help me decide. --Lady Lestrange

Alexander : You thought the conversation between Ginny and Tom was funny? And I thought I was messed up! Do you mean Ginny and Harry with Tom's comments?

Trillium: Well, now you know what Ginny's answer was to Tom's last sentence.

Anonymous: Wells, someone has to push drugs, even to computers.

Sayuri-Kikio: No Tom is too entrenched in the story to disappear so easily, and he is convenient, isn't he. He's even better than Hermione, the walking encyclopedia. Glad we got all the kinks out of the potion now. "You know, Herentas Meridiae is right, your story is addicting." Best compliment I could have. Thanks.

Mikhail Would I make poor Tom go away? Ha!

Riddled-Slytherin: Oh come now, we never go backwards. Tom isn't going back into a object, but I made you worried, didn't I? LOL

cronenus

I have 3 questions. Here are your answers.

1. are you doing to tell us how she got to the snow castle?

She portkeyed there with the portkey that Pritch made for her back in the Seers Truth: The Broken Beginnin.

2. can't old voldy just sumin ginny and samara back to the castle? Hmmm. There is that problem. Harry better kill him fast then, don't you think? Of course Volde wants the emerald so he might give them some leeway, but it is on his terms. Not exactly peachy for Harry.

3. will tom realy teach her how to put him in some thing or try to trick her in to putting her self in to something, but then again will she even try it in the first place? I'm sure Tom could teach her, but Ginny is in love. Can't you tell?

lola "Cute!" You think my story is CUTE? I have failed. Catch me. I'm throwing myself from the Astronomy tower. I hope you go back and read A Broken Beginning

fire-sprite16: Oh yeah, she will keep Tom around, and do you really want Tom to be just a friend?

Adaneth No Ginny doesn't want to face her family. It gave Tom a little taste of what he missed as an orphan. As far as Samara being too blunt--she probably was too blunt, but remember that is what Samara is like. She has been very subdued at the Snow Castle and rather stuck in Hufflepuff mode to stay alive with Voldemort. Remember her meeting Harry on the train? Pushing back his hair to look at his scar. Saying yes, you are Harry Potter? She IS blunt. Plus, she was tired, and the basilisks did need to eat.

kittybro

Hope you get to read this and are not off on spring break. Maybe spring break is over now. Hey, I can't help it your fellow readers don't review very fast. 260 reads for 15 reviews. Go figure. I'd really appreciate some of you sending the story off to some friends.

Jager

Glad you like

Silverfox1 No opossums in Europe! No kidding! Learn something every day. More about the wounded aurors and the effects of the battle of the ministry soon.

Lirael

You said, "Come on! You're not really going to get Tom out of Ginny's head, are you? That's one of the main plots of the story. Having him reduced to a diary entry would blow." It would wouldn't it? But his offer, really made Ginny take a look at what happened in their past as well as where their "relationship" is going. Decision time for both of them, and none too soon, because this story is drawing to a close. Read Keys of the Kingdom. It's better than Shade's Children. Not as good as Abhorsen. Have you read the Golden Compass books or Terry Brooks, "Demon series"? All good choices.

NOW GO REVIEW 


	41. CH 41 The Prophet and the Prophecy

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 41**

_**The Prophet and the Prophecy**_

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.

**Lady Lestrange**

Special thanks to my beta, ennui deMorte, who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Go to my author profile and click on homepage and it will take you to the Yahoo! group. ennui deMorte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

_15 reviews_: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

_(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)_

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure. At last they escape the Snow Castle for the safety of Hogwarts, but is anywhere really safe?

Ginny reevaluates her relationship with Tom and Harry reevaluates Ginny. The reporters make it difficult for Harry and company to get through the Great Hall. The group contemplates what to tell the reporters.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth (underscore between words if it deletes them) also, for more great stories, visit voldemortsreadinglist and add your own Slytherin fiction after you read and review. Your review is my only payment. Please be generous. This was a long arduous, 25 page chapter. Your reviews are appreciated.

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Chapter 41  
_The Prophet and the Prophecy_**

When Harry awoke, Samara and Ginny were talking animatedly on Draco's bed. The basilisks were having free reign over the covers, and Draco was still sound asleep. So were the other Gryffindors.

Shesha was vigorously protesting her separation from her bitemates so Harry hissed sleepily to her that he didn't care if she joined the others. She was on Draco's bed faster than a Firebolt, and that was when Samara and Ginny realized that Harry was awake.

"We were trying to decide what to do," said Samara. "The reporters have been at the door since six this morning. Madam Pomfrey has held them off so far, but I don't think the reprieve will last long, especially with Dumbledore dead."

Her words were greeted with a profound silence.

"We need a story to tell them," said Ginny softly.

Harry looked at her, trying to decide if she was really Ginny or that combination, quasi-Slytherin that she had been the night before. He tried to make himself believe that talking to her last night, he had not been talking to Tom Riddle, but somewhere deep within himself he knew that he had not been talking to Ginny Weasley. There was no innocence in the person he talked to last night. There was no compassion and there was no tolerance for Muggles or the Muggleborn. He shivered, trying to assess Ginny solely by sight.

Her face quirked into a smile that was almost hers.

"Have you possessed our Ginny completely now?" he said tonelessly. He didn't know why he had hoped it would be otherwise. Nothing else had gone right.

"We decided that I should stay and give you some help," said Tom.

"We, meaning you and Samara?" asked Harry.

"No, we, meaning Ginny and I. Don't play stupid, Harry. You know you are talking to Tom Riddle."

Harry cringed. "I had hoped it was just one of my bad dreams."

Ginny laughed. "No, Harry, it would have been one of your good dreams. One of your bad dreams would have left you at the Snow Castle."

"Like Lauren," he said.

"What are we going to tell the reporters?" asked Samara, ignoring Harry's comment. "As soon as they see the basilisks they are going to be ready to lock me away. I can keep a Notice-Me-Not spell on them on the bed, but I'm not sure I can get them by Madam Pomfrey."

"Your Notice-Me-Not spell is fading," Harry warned. "I can see them."

"Of course you can see them," said Ginny. "You've imprinted one of them."

"Oh," said Harry. "We could take them to the Chamber."

"I am not leaving them there," said Samara. "That's not safe."

"I agree," said Ginny. "I'm not leaving them there either, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to let the others think we were. I mean, carrying around the basilisks, everyone is going to label us as Dark Witches."

"So what, they'll get over it," snapped Samara. "I can't hide all of these on my wrist like you two can."

"How many basilisks do you have anyway?" asked Harry.

Samara smirked at Harry. "All of them," she said softly.

"You took Voldemort's basilisks!" he exclaimed.

"What!" shouted Ron, and the others hushed him, worried that Madam Pomfrey would be upset with their noise, but she seemed busy this morning and left them to their own devises.

"Well, he had given them to me at the Ministry and there never was a good time to give them back. I supposed that means he will come looking for them all the sooner though. He may have let me go, but I don't think he will let his basilisks go."

"Most certainly not," Ginny agreed.

"You have_ all_ of Voldemort's basilisks?" asked Ron amazed. "Hermione, she has—" Ron's voice caught in his throat. "Where's Hermione?" he said, jumping to his feet to pull the covers back on the neighboring bed. Hermione was not there, however, a parchment glowed on the pillow.

_Ron,_

_Don't worry. I woke up early and decided to check out a few things in the library. I will see you at breakfast if Madam Pomfrey releases you, or right after if not. _

_Love _

_Hermione_

"It's half past six in the morning," moaned Ron. "How bloody early does that woman think is early?" he groused as he pulled on his wrinkled robe over his night clothes. The others decided they might as well get dressed too. It was going to be a busy day.

They were all dressed except for Fred and George when Madam Pomfrey came into the room with Auror Moody. "Is Sirius awake?" he asked, and Harry gasped.

"Sirius was hurt?" Looking back and forth between Moody and Pomfrey, Harry muttered, "You knew—about Sirius."

"It came up, yes," said Moody. "Poppy, how is he? And Lupin? Sturgis?"

Harry gasped and worried about Sirius, he started to get out of bed.

"Well, Sirius will be up and about later today. Lupin will have to wait until the next full moon I'm afraid." Madam Pomfrey pulled back the curtains around Sirius bed, and held out a restraining wand as Harry scrambled out of bed.

"Just a minute young man," said Poppy. "I haven't released you from this hospital, and until I do, you will stay in your bed."

"But—"

"Do I need to use a spell to keep you in bed?" she threatened.

"But Sirius isn't a murderer," interrupted Harry, eyes wide. He didn't think he could beat Moody to his wand, but he was willing to try to protect his godfather from the Auror regardless.

"It's alright, Harry," said Moody. "You don't think Albus kept us in the dark about Black—"

Harry opened his mouth to say that he did indeed think Dumbledore kept the Order in the dark. After all, he was quite good at keeping secrets, but Sirius took that moment to awake.

"Sturgis?" croaked Sirius, trying to sit up.

"Sturgis is in a bad way, Sirius," Madam Pomfrey apologized as she sat a cup of warm chocolate on Sirius' bedside table. "Every time we tried to revive him he went into seizures. It must be some Dark curse I am not familiar with—it interferes with his waking."

Sirius snorted. "Have Snape wake him."

"What?" Madam Pomfrey was confused.

"Loyalty spell," croaked Sirius as Madam Pomfrey handed him the cup of chocolate. "Only a certain dark magic will allow him to be awakened. Get it wrong and you will probably kill him."

Sirius sipped his hot chocolate carefully and then hugged Harry while he conveyed his information to Moody and Pomfrey. "The Order spy—it's Sturgis," he told Moody. "He tried to kill me. Poppy, maybe you should keep him unconscious." He waggled his eyebrows at the mediwitch. "Or, as I said, you could have Snape try to _Ennervate_ him and see if he still seizes."

Madame Pomfrey bit her lip and, after a moment, said, "I can see you're feeling better, but I haven't seen Severus since last night. Did he make it back from the Ministry with you, Alastor?"

Harry sucked in his breath, but Moody already answered. "I haven't seen him either. It was pretty hectic though, Poppy. I'll keep an eye out for him. Maybe he's in the dungeon." Moody let the magical eye swivel sickeningly around the room, and Madam Pomfrey hurried away to check her other patients.

"It's good to see you," Sirius said to Harry, a slight smile crinkling his face. "Are you okay? We were worried."

"I'm Ok…but…" said Harry, his voice dropped to a whisper.

"I'm glad," interrupted Moody, and then facing Sirius again, he addressed Harry's godfather. "We lost too many at the Ministry. Fudge has called a press conference." He frowned at Sirius. "I know you aren't cleared, but Albus trusted you, and the Order knows the situation. We need you, Black. If you use your Animagus, you should be safe enough. Scout the perimeter, if you're up to it."

"I am," said Sirius pulling himself to his feet as Madam Pomfrey came back to glare at him.

"You need sleep," she said.

"Your sleeping spells are sometimes the best medicine. I'm all rested already," he said brightly, giving the mediwitch a smacking kiss.

"Humph," she groused. "Flattery—"

"Arthur told me Minerva was hurt, too," Moody interrupted Pomfrey's grumbling.

"Not seriously?" said Harry surprised, and Poppy shook her head.

"She just needed a little time in the sleeping ward. I'm going to wake her directly."

"Death Eaters?" asked Harry.

"Floo accident," Madam Pomfrey responded.

"So what put you down?" Moody asked Sirius. "Terricula Curse?"

"Dementors," said Sirius, and his eyes darted back to Harry as he spoke. "Dumbledore saved me. I was useless—"

"No, Sirius," said Poppy. "It was Severus who brought you in."

"Severus?" said Sirius surprised. "But I saw the Patronus. I thought—never mind." He frowned.

"I'm sure Albus will be able to sort it all out. I had thought that he would be here," said Moody looking around.

"The headmaster is dead," interrupted Harry. "I saw—"

"What?" interrupted Sirius swiveling abruptly to face Harry. Moody actually focused both eyes on him.

"Snape murdered him," said Harry coldly.

Sirius gripped Harry's shoulders. "That traitorous bastard. I knew he'd turn on the headmaster! I'll kill him!"

The row brought the others around the bed in a flash. "No!" interrupted Samara. "We don't know that Snape did anything wrong."

Harry's voice rose incredulously. "He told Voldemort: _I killed him as you asked, Master!"_

Sirius face turned an unnatural shade of purple as he clenched his fists, and an almost dog like snarl issued from deep in his throat.

"And what was he supposed to tell Voldemort!" Samara screamed at Harry as Ron pulled his wand and pushed between Samara and Harry. Samara continued to rail at Harry in a mockery of Snape's voice. "Dumbledore and I have this plan against you, Oh Dark Lord, but someone botched it. Go ahead and _Crucio_ me because I've been a spy forever." Samara poked her finger aggressively against Harry's chest. "You have no idea what it is like in that circle. None. It's unbelievable Snape didn't break before this."

"Well that's just it," added Ginny, calmly grasping Ron's wand arm. "We don't know what the plan was, but Snape did help us at the Snow Castle, and when we last saw him—"

"He was standing over Dumbledore's dead body crowing to Voldemort that he had killed him!" sputtered Harry.

"Easy mate," said Ron, trying to calm Harry. He threw a hasty glance back to Draco who was sitting nonchalantly on his bed surveying the bedlam with lazy gray eyes. He had both of his hands under the sheets. He didn't even have his wand drawn.

"We need to find Albus, or his body," stated Moody.

"And Snape," added Sirius.

"When did _you _last see Albus, Poppy?" asked Moody, his good eye still on Harry, his magical eye swiveling to Poppy.

"When the Ministry was attacked. They were bringing in injured right and left. Severus brought in Sirius and Albus brought Remus, and they left together." She paused. "About 6, 6:30," she said hesitantly. "They did seem to have some sort of plan."

"See," insisted Samara turning back to Harry. "There's more to this than we know, Harry."

"And Severus saved you Sirius," added Poppy. "He's long been a spy for the Light. You haven't seen what he's suffered…" Her eyes clouded with concern.

"He killed Dumbledore," repeated Harry.

"Did you see this, Harry?" asked Moody, suddenly in total Auror mode. "Did you actually see the killing spell?"

"Well, no, but there was a body—"

"Then we'll find it." Moody pulled his wand and placed it on his hand, saying, "Point me, Albus Dumbledore."

Immediately the wand spun in a direction, and Moody and Sirius looked at each other before they headed for the door. "We'll get to the bottom of this," said Moody with a puzzled frown. "Don't worry, Harry."

Moody harrumphed, clopping towards the door painfully on his wooden leg. Sirius continued to tell Moody about Sturgis, when he stopped, sniffing the air. Frowning, he looked at Samara and then Ginny and Harry had the distinct feeling his godfather was smelling the basilisks or sensing something wrong with Ginny. His eyes were narrowed in confusion. A none-too-subtle nudge from Moody brought Sirius' mind back from wherever it had wandered to.

"I'll be back Harry," Sirius said as he changed into his Animagus and trotted at Moody's heels.

"Siri—Snuffles!" called Harry, thinking he should tell Sirus about Voldemort and Snape and the Polyjuice that proved it was Dumbledore's body, but Ginny laid a hand on his elbow.

"Let's talk," she said softly, pulling him back towards George's bed.

"If you find Severus, tell him I need the potion for celian acid burns for the Weasely twins' eyes," called Madam Pomfrey as she followed Moody and Sirius towards the door. "Severus might have some bottled, and phoenix tears wouldn't be remiss either. If Fawkes is—available...Maybe we can get Fawkes to stay."

"I'll see what I can do," said Moody.

"Fawkes," whispered Harry.

"The Phoenix chooses his master—who will he choose now?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Potter!" hissed Draco. "I don't mind snake sitting for Samara, but Shesha really didn't want to stay with me during that little row." He held up the basilisk clenched in his fist and Harry blanched. He had forgotten that Shesha was not on his own wrist.

"(Come here,)" Harry hissed and Draco released her. With a slight moan Draco rolled over and pulled the blankets around his neck. Shesha immediately came to Harry.

Silence descended over the infirmary, except for the low moaning of the sick and dying. Harry stroked Shesha reassuring her that he was not hurt, and apologizing for the bruises she had on her head from Draco's tight grip. Harry stroked her gently, letting his magic calm her.

"(Feels better,)" she told him sleepily.

"Harry?" said Fred in a low whisper once Harry was back by their bed. "All of you, we…" He gestured in the general direction of George's bed. "We don't want any of you to tell anyone about Ginny."

"About Ginny?" Harry repeated.

A groan issued from Draco's bed. "I'm trying to go back to sleep. Do I have to hear about Weasleys this early in the morning?" moaned Draco as he peered from under the covers.

"What's the matter, Draco?" asked Ginny. "Samara wear you out?" she sighed. "(They just don't make Slytherins like they used to,)" she continued, hissing in Parseltongue, and shaking her head in mock pity.

"(And in what way are Slytherins different now?)" Salacia asked seriously.

Samara and Harry burst into laughter, while Draco frowned at them both. Ginny just smirked at him.

"Weasel, what did you say?" he snapped, and the three Parselmouths continued to giggle.

"(Did I say something wrong?)" Salacia wanted to know. "(I just want to understand the differences between Slytherins now. How are they different?)" she insisted, while the three Parselmouths howled in laughter at Draco's expense.

He scowled at them.

Once the laughter had died down, Fred repeated his question. "Will you give us your word, Harry?" asked Fred.

"Well," Harry wasn't sure he wanted to promise something like this.

"You know," whispered George, "about the voices she hears in her head. We don't want her back in St. Mungo's."

"It beats having her in Azkaban," hissed Harry, running a hand through his messy hair.

"We would appreciate your silence," said Ginny coldly.

Harry looked at her appraisingly. "Then let her speak for herself. Release her from whatever hold you have on her, Tom."

Ginny nodded once and a far away look appeared in her eyes. A moment later, she launched herself forward and was hugging Harry. Her warm body pressed against him, the smell of some medicinal soap reached his nose. "We did it. We made it back to Hogwarts!" she crowed.

Harry let his arms come up around Ginny and patted her back, feeling, sensing that this was Ginny and not Tom, but his eyes connected with Samara's over Ginny's shoulder. "Aura?" he asked, and Samara smiled.

"It's Ginny."

Harry nodded. "Let's go to breakfast then."

At that moment, Ginny pulled herself away; her eyes glazing. "Oh no. No. No. No. I can't go to breakfast. Samara, you have to go to Slytherin with me! The emerald—" Ginny released Harry and grasped Samara's hand, standing and pulling her towards the door.

"Ginny no!" said Samara.

Immediately, Ginny's mood shifted and she snarled at Samara, "Some friend you are! Spilling my secrets! Refusing to help!" She fumbled in her robe pocket.

"I didn't say I wouldn't help," protested Samara, "but—"

"You promised me!" growled Ginny, her eyes blazing with anger as Samara stuttered her protests.

Suddenly Ginny shivered again, and looked at her wand hand, surprised to find that it was clutching her wand. "Sorry," said Ginny's voice. "I'm afraid Ginny isn't up to fighting Salazar's Imperius Curse. As soon as she gets her hands on that emerald, I'm afraid she will want to go right back to Voldemort."

"Tom?" said Harry, realizing that without any visible sign of a struggle, Tom had taken over Ginny's body again. Tom confirmed his suspicion.

"The same," replied Ginny, a grimace in her voice. "But let's just keep that between us, shall we?" He tucked Ginny's wand in her robe pocket.

"Ron?" Harry turned to his best friend, gasped and looked over at the other beds. Ron was nowhere in sight. "Come on," Harry told Ginny and Samara, but Fred called after them.

"Remember what we said!"

"For now," Harry agreed reluctantly as he looked into Ginny's hard brown eyes. "Let's go."

But Madam Pomfrey was not that easy to hoodwink. She insisted that they all stay until she told them they were ready to go. "Where's Mr. Weasley?" she asked. "And Miss Granger?"

"Library," Harry told her as she examined him and pronounced him fit. "Ron is in the library. He said he was feeling lots better," Harry lied. "If he has a relapse I will be sure to bring him back." Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep Ginny for more tests, but Ginny stuck out her lip in a pout and begged to be released back to Gryffindor Tower with the others. Madam Pomfrey was hassled enough with the Auror patients that she didn't insist they stay.

"Oy!" called Fred. "Is my little brother ok to be released?"

"Ron is fine," Harry assured him.

"And George?" asked Fred. Harry noted they called no attention to Ginny.

"Your twin is about the same as you," said Madam Pomfrey. "How you managed to get twin injuries is beyond me. Now, be quiet. George is still sleeping as should you, Mr. Weasley."

"All right," agreed Fred. "At least I can't see to do any schoolwork."

"I'm sure Hermione could charm something to read your books to you," called Harry and Fred groaned.

By then Melisande was awake too and Neville they found hovering at the door. "I brought you the Daily Prophet," he said with a strangled voice. "You need to see this before you go out. The Great Hall is a shambles. Minister Fudge is here."

"What?" said Harry.

"Apparently Minister Fudge expected to have a press conference this morning with Professor Dumbledore, but we know Professor Dumbledore isn't here." The group exchanged glances as they lay the paper out on one of the beds but Madam Pomfrey objected.

"I need to get the beds cleaned," she said. "Noting what has been going on the last few days, I may need them."

"Just for a few minutes," begged Harry. "We won't bother anyone."

With a shrug, Madam Pomfrey said, "A few minutes, then back to your dorms and lots of rest for you—no dallying in the Great Hall." She dismissed them all except for Fred and George, who were still bandaged and blind. "Merlin knows I have enough to do," she muttered, but before she went to work on the Aurors, she insisted Melisande submit to a spell which prohibited her from singing. Melisande promised not to, but Madam Pomfrey was hearing none of it. "I don't need anymore injuries," she said. "Especially ones I can prevent," she said. "And during breakfast you can see one of the teachers about sending word to your parents that you are alive."

"Yes, ma'am," said Melisande. "Thank you. I would like that."

"I'd do it myself," said Madam Pomfrey, "but I just don't have the time." She turned away to see to others in the infirmary who needed her attention.

Neville spread the paper out on Harry's bed. The headlines read:

_**Ministry Destroyed:**_

_**Purebloods taken Hostage **_

_**Muggleborns killed**_

_  
Special Report by _Lawrence Barrington_, Daily Prophet_

Neville began to read the article aloud:

_"Yesterday, at approximately four thirty pm, just as most of the Ministry employees were getting ready to enjoy a weekend of relaxation, the Ministry building was attacked by a group of Death Eaters, led by none other than You-Know-Who. With him, according to witnesses, was an unknown child, believed to be "The Prophecy Child." This prophecy, made by Sibyll Trelawney, current Hogwarts Professor of Divination, during the Grindelwald war, states:_

_**At the height of the Dark Lord's Power**_

_**A Babe will lay him low.**_

_We all know that refers to Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, but apparently there was more to the prophecy, that was not revealed to the general public."_

'Not revealed to anyone,' thought Harry as he remembered going over the prophecy in its entirely, including the parts that Dumbledore hid from him until earlier this year.

**As his equal the Dark Lord will mark**

**A child whose power he knows not.**

**Another child invited into the dark**

**And a child who was not sought.**

&-

**Either must die at the hand of the other **

**Neither can live while the other survives**

**Protected once by the love of his mother**

**Blood of a mother forever saves lives**

&-

**At the height of the Dark Lord's Power **

**A Babe will lay him low.**

**Yet he will arise through hi flower **

**Essences of friend, father and foe.**

&-

**For within have snake and phoenix warred**

**But Phoenix must surely rule**

**For this bird rises again and again**

**And Eating Death is the fuel.**

&-

**Will he Riddle the past with pain**

**Or Riddle the future with glory?**

**Six lives or deaths hang in time by three **

**Brave children who'll mend the story.**

&-

**The foe unnamed falls to magic unknown**

**Magic born as the seventh month dies.**

**By magic and blood the rift is sown**

**Devoid of all time. Devoid of all lies.**

&-

**Yet there will come to HogwartsSchool**

**A year from Hufflepuff's loss**

**A housemate to thwart the rule of him**

**Unnamed and ne'er count the cost.**

&-

**Fate put Gryffindor bravery in one heart**

**And Ravenclaw brains in one head**

**And Slytherin cunning, ambition and guile**

**Yet Hufflepuff's love is his dread.**

&-

**The hat's confusion will mark you as true**

**Though tears may make you swoon**

**Your choices are hard. Your choices are few.**

**'Ware of loosing your childhood soon.**

&-

**Eat Death and be Dead. Eat life and live on.**

**Don't sacrifice children or truth.**

**Bring rue to your heart or rue to your hand**

**Or savor Old Love for a youth.**

&-

**The moment of truth will come in a flash**

**The night sky will glow with gloom**

**A friend's flight—A friend's mad dash**

**May halt the moment of doom.**

Harry sighed and focused on Neville's reading.

_"The loyalties of the Prophecy Child are, as yet, unknown. However, seeing her at You-Know-Who's side tends to point to the possibility that she is a Dark Witch. We at the Prophet wonder: Is it possible that You-Know-Who has given up on killing Harry Potter since he now holds this new Prophecy Child? Or has Harry Potter joined Him?"_

Harry snorted and rolled his eyesNeville continued reading.

_"Although the Ministry was believed to be attacked at 4:30pm, apparently Death Eaters were in the Ministry as early as 3:15pm during a special meeting called by Minister Fudge to discuss the murder of several Aurors, including the famous Metamorphmagnus, and youngest Auror in history, Miss Nymphadora Tonks. As yet, the Ministry has no clue as to who the strange new "sibling magic pair" that killed Miss Tonks might be. The murder itself is strangely reminiscent of the death of Nymphadora's own mother, Andromeda Black-Tonks, who was killed sixteen years ago by a sibling magic trio. _

_"Speculation by Alastor Moody, retired Auror, is that a certain dark witch, now known to be released from Azkaban earlier this year, may have joined forces with her sister. Charges were dropped sixteen years ago as evidence of the Imperius Curse was determined to make the "good" sister unaware of her possible involvement in the attack. This reporter is now highly doubtful there _is_ a good sister. There was, sixteen years ago, a third sister who is now deceased, but it appears that two siblings are just as deadly as three. _

_"Without use of a wand, it is difficult to determine the magical signature; however the signature appears to be a new one. But the use of such wandless magic is relatively rare in the civilized magical community; less than ten percent of wizards have sufficient command to wandless magic to kill with it. Names have been withheld as no formal charges have been filed."_

Draco burst into laughter, but stopped when Samara poked him. "Hush!" she said and amazingly, he became quiet and Neville continued hesitantly.

_"With the lack of solid protection for the wizarding community, a number of retired Aurors have been called back to work._

_"The sensors in the Department of Unspeakables, a division of the Department of Mysteries, had detected some faint signals of advanced death magic being used within Ministry boundaries. However, because of the upper level meeting going on at that time, junior officers were loathed to disturb the brass and precious minutes passed before it was discovered that a Death Eater attack was already underway in the very Ministry building the Aurors are sworn to protect. In addition, a hearing on the misuse of Muggle money was being held which had drawn in an inordinate amount of outside officials into the building, thus compromising security within the __Ministry__Building__ itself. _

_"A minute later, dementors swarmed through the Ministry in an apparently random fashion, kissing an undermined number of Ministry officials. Mention was made that both the floo system and the Apparition wards were simultaneously compromised. _

_"At the same time, a tip-off was given to both Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwards, and the Daily Prophet that the dementors of Azkaban were released from their island and Death Eaters released from Azkaban prison. Upon further investigation by select Aurors, the island was found to be inhabited by nothing but dark creatures, not including dementors, Azkaban having been apparently attacked and opened in a stealth attack some time earlier. Precious moments were lost and by the time the select Aurors were called to the Ministry by a Ministry official, Pecival Weasley, assistant to the Minister of Magic, many deaths and dementor kisses had already occurred. _

_"According to Percival Weasley—"_

"Is that Percival?" asked Ron snidely from the doorway. "My prat brother?"

Harry looked up as he saw his friend pause, and Hermione, who was running, ran straight into him.

"Ron?" said Harry dumbfounded as he saw someone sounded like Ron, but minus the red hair.

Hermione was waving the Daily Prophet above her head as she hurried into the room. "Oh, I see you've got a copy," she said as she noted the paper Neville had spread on the bed.

"Ron?" Harry said again, noting that Ron's hair was a rather dull mousy shade of brown. "Your hair—"

"Oh," said Ron gesturing at his hair. "Hermione charmed it brown. I would have never gotten through the Great Hall again with Weasley-red-hair. It's a madhouse out there, reporters everywhere. That's why we brought back the Daily Prophet. We wanted to warn you."

"Were you reading?" Hermione asked, but when Neville hesitated, Hermione took up the job herself, starting to read where Neville indicated he had left off.

_"According to Percival Weasley, the Ministry attack was an inside job with a number of Ministry officials impersonated by Polyjuice, including Deputy Minister, Amelia Bones and possibly Cornelius Fudge. At this time, neither Cornelius Fudge nor Albus Dumbledore could be reached for comment. _

_"However, we later caught up with Minister Cornelius Fudge at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, and he has assured reporters that the Aurors are not beaten and will reconvene at an undisclosed location to consider the strategy of what to do next. Minister Fudge would not comment on Albus Dumbledore's whereabouts except to say, 'You don't see him here helping, do you? In fact, he is conspicuously absent. I think that speaks volumes.'"_

"But Fudge didn't know that Dumbledore—" began Ron.

Hermione hushed him as she glanced worriedly at the neighboring beds, although no one appeared to be listening.

"Keep reading, Hermione," said Harry.

_"When asked if this was the work of You-Know-Who, Minister Fudge declined comment, but we noted his fearful face and suggest that readers of the Daily Prophet put double wards on your doors and windows. Wizards and witches are further advised that the floo may still be compromised in some areas. Please limit fire call conversations to emergency communications only. It is suggested that those who cannot Apparate use the Knight Bus. Knight Bus times have been extended for this purpose." _

Hermione skipped over the Knight Bus schedule and continued reading.

_"An anonymous owl informed The Prophet that the infamous secret group, of which Albus Dumbledore seems to know much and tell little, was instrumental in rescuing both Harry Potter and the Prophecy Child, a Dark Witch that was at You-Know-Who's side during yesterday's attack."_

Hermione paused, giving Harry a pointed look before she continued.

_"The famous Harry Potter, a Parselmouth whose sanity was questioned last year, predicted You-Know-Who's return, saying that the Dark Wizard was raised by means of a spell which Mr. Potter himself participated in. Of course, it is inconceivable that the youth would have survived participating in the spell with You-Know-Who unless You-Know-Who has suddenly taken Mr. Potter into his inner circle. It is more likely that Mr. Potter has become somewhat unstable, as reported by the Prophet several times last year." _

"Oh, that again," complained Harry.

_"Mr. Potter, like Albus Dumbledore, was also mysteriously unavailable. Although he is supposed to be at Hogwarts, no one could tell us where he or his cronies were during the time of the attack. Dumbledore was also absent from the school and the Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, was injured in a floo accident earlier that day. _

_"As you know, Albus Dumbledore was a vital part of the downfall of Grindelwald when he was a young wizard. Now that he is experienced in the matters of war, we wonder if Cornelius Fudge will ask for Dumbledore's help in this new war or if the loyalties of Albus Dumbledore are suspect too. With the rescue of one, possibly two or even three Hogwarts' students who have converted to the Dark, Dumbledore must be suspect." _

"We have to talk about this," hissed Hermione, closing the paper and glaring at Harry. "In private," she whispered.

"I know just the place," said Ginny.

"(The Chamber,)" Shesha agreed with Visha's mental communication.

"No!" said Harry.

"You can't expect anyone but us to have access," said Samara. "After all, Voldemort hasn't breached the wards yet."

Hermione and Ron looked from one to the other bewilderment evident. "Did we just miss something?" Hermione asked.

"It's those blasted basilisks," accused Ron.

"Look, we do have to talk about this, but if Neville is right, we aren't going to get out of here without seeing some reporters," said Harry. "I'm sure Fudge wants to make a spectacle."

"Should we tell them what we know—about Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

"I don't think so," said Hermione. "It seems the Order has a plan afoot that we aren't privy to."

"Why doesn't that surprise me," sighed Harry. "Let's see what else the paper says, so we have some idea what to expect."

Obediently, Hermione turned the page and continued reading.

_"When Percival Weasley was asked about the loyalties of his sister, Virginia Weasley, he unequivocally stated that she is still on the side of Light, but when asked how he knew this, he refused to answer. When confronted with the fact that other witnesses saw Virginia Weasley at You-Know-Who's side and, in fact, saw her giving orders to senior Death Eaters, Percival became taciturn, stating flatly, "No comment," and ending the interview. However, the Daily Prophet has gained assess to information of psychological abnormalities observed during her stay at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies in the summer of 1993."_

Ginny's face paled. "Ah, bugger," she breathed.

"How come they said your name," complained Samara "and not mine?"

"They called me a nut case," retorted Ginny.

"Look at this," said Samara. "Harry is mentioned by name, one, two, three times, but me--"

"Samara, believe me, you don't want the attention," said Harry, but Samara just pouted as Hermione continued to read.

_"We at the Daily Prophet ask ourselves: How could Death Eaters have infiltrated the Ministry? The answer, from Minister Fudge's own personal assistant, Percival Weasley, is chilling: 'Without inside help, they couldn't.'"_

The group took a few more moments leafing through the rest of the pages of the Daily Prophet, while Samara continued to complain that she wasn't mentioned by name anywhere.

On the following pages were stories about Azkaban and the names of Aurors, missing, presumed dead, who apparently had been impersonated through Polyjuice for an indeterminate period of time. There were several stories dredging up Harry Potter's Dark Gift: Parseltongue, including one which said, _"Harry Potter speaks with Snakes; Is he conversing with a dangerous Dark Snake—You-Know-Who?";_ a story about Virginia Weasley's possession in first year called, _"The Beginning of Darkness"; _and one about Sirius Black, _"Dumbledore and Aurors Befriend Convicted Murderer."_

After looking at each other for a long moment, Harry said, "We got out of the Snow Castle. We should be able to get past a few reporters. Just say as little as possible, ok?" They all nodded their agreement. "I'm rather used to this after all. Try to keep anyone from noticing Samara's basilisks..."

"I can do that," said Hermione, but Draco shook his head.

"I'll do it," he said, creating an illusion around Samara while clasping her close with one arm. "I don't intend to let anyone get close to her," he announced. Then, speaking only to Samara, he lowered his voice. "I can't believe you tried to take on Moody this morning," he whined.

Samara smiled at him and strengthened the spell with her own magic until no one could see the basilisks except Ginny and Harry, who were bitemates.

"You stay here," Draco ordered the group just before he and Samara stepped out of the hospital wing. "I don't want to be seen with you lot."

"But Draco—" began Hermione.

"Did I ask for your opinion, Mudblood?" Draco sneered before exiting the room, leaving Hermione gaping. He hadn't called her Mudblood all last evening.

"I suppose it was too much to hope it would last," she muttered.

* * *

The group got to the Great Hall with no trouble at all. Minister Fudge was speaking about the attack at the Ministry and everyone seemed to be listening to him. Harry would have liked to stay to see what excuses Fudge made, but thought that wasn't wise considering the number of reporters in the Great Hall. Harry swallowed. Dumbledore would have never let Fudge turn his school into this kind of chaos. Still, Harry didn't think that their return would have made such a stir if Fudge himself wasn't there. Harry wanted to call the man out on the spot and expose him as a Death Eater, but he doubted anyone would believe him. 

After all, no one believed the rise of Voldemort last year, and he had Cedric's body for proof. A shiver of guilt passed through Harry as he thought of Cedric losing his life to Voldemort. _How many more?_ he wondered. As Harry caught the words Fudge was speaking, a slow rage started to build in him. Fudge was accusing Dumbledore in his absence. He was saying that Dumbledore's secret Order was in league with Voldemort and these Dark witches. _Did he mean Ginny and Samara?_ It was on the tip of Harry's tongue to shout a denial of to Fudge's charges, but just then Fudge caught sight of the little group. His attitude immediately changed.

"At last," Fudge announced from the podium. "The wizard and witches who can answer all your questions about You-Know-Who's stronghold, Mr. Harry Potter, and the infamous Prophecy Children."

_Children?_wondered Harry immediately. _How did he know the prophecy talked of three children?_ _It seemed unlikely that Fudge was competent enough to find out on his own. Did Voldemort tell him?_ _That seemed about as likely as Dumbledore telling him, but if Voldemort knew that much of the prophecy, it was possible the Death Eaters would talk._ Fudge was gesturing toward Harry and the little group that was trying to be as small and unobtrusive as possible.

Suddenly all eyes were on them. If Fudge had hoped to fluster them, he had succeeded. Harry cringed and fought the urge to run. The crowd pushed Samara and Draco back; until, regardless of Draco's wishes, the group was together again.

Shouts of, "There they are!" interspersed with camera flashes assaulted the little group. Although Samara liked to talk, even she was a little startled as the group converged crowding the group together. She was the first to recover though. "Yes," she replied. "We are back. We didn't like the décor," she joked.

There were uncomfortable titters of laughter as Beatrice darted through the crowd as a bunny and then reformed as a witch at Harry's elbow. She threw her arms around him and hugged him as the cameras flashed. Harry groaned, thinking of what the papers would be printing tomorrow but he hugged Beatrice back. It was good to see her again.

"Harry, we were all so worried," Beatrice said, her big brown eyes filling with tears.

"Who is this witch?" several reporters asked of Beatrice, but others moved right on to questions about their time at the Snow Castle. Harry wanted to hustle through the crowd without speaking, but that was too much to hope for.

"Is it true, Harry Potter, that you once again returned from the lair of You-Know-Who unscathed?" asked one reporter as the others gathered close blocking their path.

"Not exactly," said Harry with a crooked smile.

"Just how is it that you manage to walk in and out of his lair with the ease of a Death Eater?"

Harry stopped dead still. "Just what are you implying?" he said coldly.

"Well, it's just that you do seem to have a knack for getting in and out of his lair. Weren't you there earlier this year to rescue another student?"

Before Harry could confirm or deny that he had been to the Snow Castle earlier, another report pushed his way to Harry.

"Is it true that You-Know-Who brands his followers with a disfiguring mark?" asked the reporter, jostling the first out of the way.

"Oh, it's just a little tattoo," said Samara dismissively.

"And you allowed this?" another reporter added.

"Well it sort of came with the package," Samara said. With a strained smile, she joked, "I wanted a butterfly, but all he had were snakes. He's rather partial to them."

Neville snorted, but the reporters didn't laugh.

At last, McGonagall appeared, looking tired but none the worse for wear from her unfortunate encounter with the floo, with a contingent of Aurors who cleared the reporters away. "You are here to hear the Minister speak, not to harass students," said McGonagall.

"But just a few questions," coaxed the reporters.

"I have one comment," said Harry passionately. "None of us went to Voldemort voluntarily—_None_ of us—and the fact that we have returned says that he can be beaten. The first thing you need to do is acknowledge he is indeed a threat. You certainly can't ignore the fact that the Ministry was attacked, and that your Minister has lied to you. Voldemort did not gain this power overnight. He has been gaining support since I told you of his rising last year." Harry ignored the collective flinch that went through the crowd at his speaking the name Voldemort.

"What do you know about the Ministry attack?" called another reporter.

* * *

Several groups of reporters began pushing the little group apart. One group centering on Samara and Draco, another on Harry, and yet another on Melisande and Neville 

"What was it like being in the clutches in the Dark Lord?" someone asked Ginny, as another jostled her.

"Can you show us your left arm, sweetheart?" Someone actually reached for her sleeve.

She wrenched herself away.

"Did you really go of your own free will?" someone else asked Ginny. Although Samara would have stayed nearby to give Ginny some support, Draco was relentlessly pulling her away from the Gryffindors.

"Melisande, you were pronounced dead—several months ago. What have you been doing since then?" asked another reporter.

Yet another reporter pushed forward. "Have you been in contact with your parents, Melisande? Were you forced to take part in any of the Muggle killings?"

"Or not forced?" muttered someone else at Samara's elbow.

"Were there other dark creatures at his stronghold besides you?"

"Other dark?" whispered Melisande worriedly.

One reporter pushed against Draco, who was trying to shield Samara and keep the reporters from seeing the basilisks.

"The skeleton of a man presumed to be Arvil Folant was delivered to his wife in Surry, the skin and muscle burned right from his bones. The same night, his nine year old daughter went missing. Can you confirm if that is the work of Voldemort?" Samara found a magical recording device shoved to her mouth as the reporter eyed her curiously.

"No—I?" said Samara as she stared at Draco. His aura had completely drained of color as if he had died himself. Then the aura cleared, burning a more vivid red than Samara had seen for a while. She could feel his panic; see his fear in his aura. He wanted to run. She put her hand in his, and gripped his hand tightly, letting the magic flow between them. The words, _I thought I was freeing him from the Dark Lord,_ flitted on the edges of her consciousness, and she shuddered, but she didn't want to examine that thought too closely right now. She wasn't even sure Draco believed it.

The reporter took the moment to direct the next question to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, your parents have been unavailable for comment during your absence. Were they with you?"

"I'm sorry; I had a mishap at school." Draco answered coolly. "I wasn't with the group of Gryffindor rescuers. I am, after all, a Slytherin." He gave them a dark glare that would have done Snape proud, and attempted to brush by them.

"Is it true that you and the Prophecy Child are bonded?" the persistent reporter continued, clasping Draco's arm.

"You can look at them and see that," snapped another.

"If you mean Samara Donnally and I, then yes," said Draco, turning as he gained some control over his conflicting emotions.

"That's Samara--S-a-m-a-r-a Donnally--D-o-n-n-a-l-l-y," Samara spelled her name while the reporters frantically scribbled.

"Samara! Draco!" called Vincent Crabbe, waving to catch their attention. As he tried to push his way through the crowd, he waved a package over his head, which Samara assumed was the invisibility cloak. Even Crabbe's considerable bulk couldn't get through the crowd to them and at last he gave up, letting himself be pushed along by the crowd of reporters.

Then as abruptly as the questions started, the reporters turned to another.

"Miss Weasley!" called a reporter. "We understand you were first possessed when you were eleven. Have you been possessed continuously since you were eleven?"

Samara and Draco edged away, and Crabbe and Goyle took up their sentry duty on either side of Samara and Draco.

* * *

"When did you first know that your little sister was possessed?" another asked Ron. 

"Are you the prophecy child?" someone asked Ginny.

"Are you the prophecy child?" another reporter shot at Beatrice.

"I understand this is the second time your have saved your sister from the Dark Lord. Is there really a secret chamber under Hogwarts?" another asked Ron.

"Yes," he said hesitantly.

"And Professor Lockhart was gravely injured in that rescue. How did it feel to have no adults with you this time?" Harry threw a knowing glance at Ron who was actually handling the reporter pretty well.

"Err—actually, um—It felt good," said Ron.

"And will your sister be having another stay in St. Mungo's after this latest escapade?"

"No. No, definitely not. She's not."

"Then you feel she has come back from this latest excursion whole and healthy..."

"Oh yes, and then some," replied Ron with conviction.

A stir caused by a contingent of Aurors finally caused some of the reporters to back away.

"Auror Moody, are you going to arrest them?" called someone from the crowd.

Harry was horrified to realize it was Cho. Cho, who knew him, kissed him...He knew she still felt badly about Cedric, but to expect the girls' arrest?

"Clear the way, or I will clear it," roared Moody brandishing his wand and scattering the reporters and students alike. The dog at his heels growled menacingly when some of the crowd jostled the group.

"Now just a minute, Auror Moody," interrupted Minister Fudge. "The reporters are just doing their job."

"And I'm doing mine," growled Moody, who was now flanked by six Aurors who surrounded the students and escorted them from the Great Hall. To Harry's disappointment, the dog stayed with Moody.

"Breakfast?" asked Ginny.

"I think you will be eating in the kitchen," said one of the younger Aurors with a smile.

"You should have known better, Mr. Potter," admonished McGonagall. She sighed. "Reporters—I'll speak with you all later in my office," she said, "as soon as the Minister leaves." She turned away and then turned back, a puzzled look on her face. "Mr. Malfoy, if you would like me to escort you to the Slytherin Table..."

"No," said Samara still clinging to Draco's hand. "He's coming with us to the kitchen."

"But, you're all Gryffindors," said McGonagall.

"Is that a problem?" asked Draco. "Didn't the Headmaster just say that we should have more inter-house solidarity?"

"Yes. Yes, he did," said McGonagall, her eyes filling with tears.

She hurried back into the Great Hall.

Harry squeezed Beatrice around the waist. "I hope you don't mind being on the front page of the newspaper," he predicted.

"(Hisssuss!)" Shesha said happily as she scented Beatrice.

"(No!)" Harry, Ginny and Samara all hissed together.

"(I know. Special hissuss,)" corrected Shesha. "(Visha tells. None may eat Mistress' special hissuss.)"

"(Bitemate-hisssusss,)" said Salacia, and the whole contingent of basilisks lapsed into a conversation about how a bunny-hisssusss could possibly be a bitemate. Cush was particularly hard to convince, and Samara urged them to the kitchen and the promise of food for both themselves and the basilisks before someone heard the hissing of the serpents.

Beatrice, meanwhile, kept a wary eye on Voldemort's basilisks.

_fin_

**

* * *

ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS (and a cookie)**

**kittybro:** Thanks for reviewing

**Sayuri-Kikio:** Thank you for the review. You think Ginny/Tom is sweet? Oh, dear, you don't know Tom too well. You will tho. Thanks for your advice about a sequel. I really am thinking that perhaps I have overused this group. It doesn't seem to have the excitement it had before.

**DarkLordLongbottom:** Have to tell you, I think your name is so cool. I like Neville.

**Club Mix:** new stuff all the time. We really don't know that much about Madam Pomfrey, but we do know she is an excellent healer. She managed to put Harry back together numerous times.

**Yuuko**

Sorry you have to wait for reviews. Maybe you can talk to your friends. If they review the first fic, The Broken Beginning, I'll count it towards the 15 reviews. How's that?

**Jaqui**

You obviously haven't read my "dark" if you think this is "dark" although ch 40 was a bit on the edge.

**Herentas:** How dare you miss reviewing! I am betaing Herentas story, "China Doll" It's a Ginny/Tom, but much different from mine. Go read it. Glad you liked the Voldie/Harry part direct minds duel instead of the usually oh-Merlin-I'm-feeling/seeing-what-the-Dark-Lord-feels/sees. What does everyone think of an RP set in the time of Tom Riddle. Email me or check out the yahoo group HarryPotterRP (There is an underscore between the r in Potter and the R in RP, if fanfic takes it out.)

**Wormtail:**The Harry the healer is because I am so tired of Harry embracing the whole kill Volde thing and saying he wants to be an auror.

**Lirael:** I don't do agonizing and introspection well. I'm better at action, thus, Ginny decided quickly about Tom. It isn't like she hasn't known him for quite some time.

Thanks for your comments. I love the ever-wise Pomfrey. "Then don't."

Glad you liked Lauren too. Yes, she is the niece of Valerina and Narcissa, and the daughter of their sister...Laurel?... right? (Isn't it amazing that I thought of this family relationship before JK wrote OotP. I still can't get over I made Narcissa and Valeriana (Bellatrix) sisters and Sirius a cousin too, although JK made the relationship through the paternal side and I did the maternal, with Carman. I could talk forever about all the books we love together. I suggest Terry Brooks, the Demon Series.

**Garrett:** Here, this little aside is just for you, Garrett. A reporter asks Samara:

_"Is it true that the muggles who were painting graffiti on the Muggle repellant walls of Hogwarts are not muggles at all, but your Squib brothers?"_

_"What! What kind of graffiti?"_

_"We love you Sam and Sam D tops them all."_

_"Professor McGonagall," said Samara distressed, but she pulled Samara aside. _

_"They are alright dear. They've been _Obliviated_ and sent back home, but you can owl them as soon as we have news. I'm not sure how they found the place…"_

**Silverfox1**

I will consider your pleas for me to write the third part. I think I need to write it to be a stand alone though. No one wants to go back and read the first fic…I don't know why…but once you are done writing, it seems to lack attention. Maybe if they were added to all of your C2 groups. I need your help guys. It's sad to see something as long and arduous as The Broken Beginning (and soon Beyond the Darkness) receive no attention any more because there are no new chapters. It's fanfic's way of finding them I guess. Even Draco Malfoy and the Goblet of Fire has lost all readership. If someone sees a new fic and realizes they have to read 100 chapters to catch up, they are discouraged instead of excited. I don't know why. Any ideas, guys?

**Alexander:** Finding this chapter funny was just weird, and I thought I was the number one "weird".

**anonymous:** Someone else wants me to continue with the third part of the story, but didn't sign your name. I'd like to review your stuff if you tell me your name. As far as reducing the 15 reviews, or update faster, the problem is with fanfic, once a story is completed it is lost and according to advanced stats, gets almost no traffic.

**Little Red Rabbit:** "one of the cutest Tom/Ginny moments ever!" Why do you all persist in calling Tom cute?

**Riddled-Slytherin:** Tom and Ginny forever! Yeah!

**Jager:** Thanks for the review.


	42. CH 42 Heart of a Death Eater

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 42**

**Heart of a Death Eater**

**Disclaimer: **The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK. --**Lady Lestrange**

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui deMorte,** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Go to my author profile and click on homepage and it will take you to the Yahoo! group. ennui deMorte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

_15 reviews_: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(A/N: Thanks for your patience and I appologize for the delay. The next chapter should be on time)

_(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down 3 turns should do it!)_

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure. At last they escape the Snow Castle for the safety of Hogwarts, but is anywhere really safe?

Ginny reevaluates her relationship with Tom and Harry reevaluates Ginny. The reporters make it difficult for Harry and company to get through the Great Hall. The group contemplates what to tell the reporters, and it culminates with an encounter with Snape where Harry learns things he'd rather not know.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth (underscore between words if it deletes them) also, for more great stories, visit voldemortsreadinglist and add your own Slytherin fiction after you read and review. Your review is my only payment. Please be generous. This was a long arduous, 25 page chapter. Your reviews are appreciated.

And now, on to the chapter…

**Chapter 42**

The Board of Governors had sent a temporary headmistress to take Dumbledore's place. Harry wondered why it couldn't be McGonagall or one of the other teachers, perhaps Sinistra or Vector, but McGonagall said the Board of Governors didn't want to foster any animosity between the teachers at this stressful time and therefore brought in their own person. Rumor had it that she was only temporary and that Madam Maxim was being recruited since Beaubaxtons was destroyed. Hagrid would probably be pleased thought Harry even though the giant had idolized the Headmaster. Harry tried to be fair, but no one could take Dumbledore's place. As he went into Defense against the Dark Arts, he wished uncharitably that it had been Snape instead of Dumbledore who had died. After all, wasn't it the Defense Against the Dark Arts job that was cursed?

The name Dolores Umbridge hung in silvery letters in the air in front of the classroom reminding Harry too much of Tom Riddle writing _I am Lord Voldemort_ in the Chamber of Secrets. Furthermore, his new acuity made him aware that Madam Umbridge had a Dark Mark. He stopped, frozen on the threshold. This was the closest he had come to the new temporary Headmistress, and he didn't want to come any closer. Although he was learning to deal with that fact among the Slytherins, being in a classroom with a teacher who had a Dark Mark put all of his defenses on alert. He wanted to run.

"Today I'm taking the place of Professor Snape," Umbridge said. "He's still--indisposed, and as Headmistress, I have inherited the job of replacing those teachers who for some reason cannot presently teach their classes."

"Will Professor Snape be back?" Malfoy asked in an arrogant tone.

"That, Mr. Malfoy, remains to be seen." The woman turned towards the doorway where several students hovered, including Harry Potter. "Come in, come in," she chimed.

Harry stood frozen at the door, wand in hand as he sized up the teacher that was here to take the place of Severus Snape._ Who could possibly take the place of Snape?_ Harry thought. _Murderer of Albus Dumbledore_, because no matter what the Order or the Ministry said, Harry knew what he saw, and if Snape didn't murder Dumbledore, why was he hiding? Why wasn't he back at Hogwarts? Snape's cryptic comments before they flooed from the Snow Castle were no longer very comforting. _They would see Dumbledore's body again? _Indeed? What was that supposed to mean?

"Take you seats. Take your seats," said the woman in a rather whiny voice. Harry tried to ignore how much it grated on his nerves.

"Take them where?" whispered Ron, as they proceeded into the room, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Whatever she's like, she has to be better than Snape," continued Ron, but Harry didn't comment.

"Put your wands away," she said. "You won't be needing them today."

Harry hesitated. When Snape said that, a curse was usually coming your way, but she seemed to be entirely sincere. Hermione exchanged glances with him, and put her wand away. Harry was a little slower in doing so. He put the wand in his pocket, but kept his hand on it, thinking that Snape had made him paranoid. The woman seemed completely harmless.

"Because I don't know your names," she said in a sweet voice, "I'd like to seat you in alphabetical order."

"Can't she do a memory spell," muttered Ron snidely as he pocketed his wand and Harry hushed him hoping that this defense teacher wasn't as useless as Lockhart. Nonetheless, he wanted to get on the good side of this teacher--Dark Mark or not. He wanted no more conflict in his life. He just wanted peace, not like there was any hope of that with Dumbledore dead. The horror of that thought washed over him like a great cold wave.

"Poor Neville," muttered Hermione, and Harry thought of how the letters fell, and grimaced, Lestrange, Longbottom, Malfoy.

"Lauren Avery," said Umbridge moving quickly down the aisle, her eyes on the parchment roster. "You will sit here in front. Lavender Brown beside her." She motioned to the two seats, side by side.

Lavender flounced forward and draped herself into the seat next to Lauren. Lauren ignored her, opening her book and parchment like a model student. Her eyes never left Umbridge.

"Millicent Bulstrode and Vincent Crabbe."

"Colin Creevy and Samara Donnally."

"Gregory Goyle and Beatrice Ellis."

Samara moved forward but Colin scowled at Madam Umbridge. Beatrice made a little squeak and backed up. Hermione stepped in front of her.

"Excuse me," said Hermione. "May Beatrice sit by me? Surely someone told you she was ill. I've been helping her catch up."

"She doesn't look ill to me," said Umbridge, still looking at the clipboard with the names on it.

"Well, she was," explained Hermione. "She was in her bunny animagus when she was _crucioed_ by the Dark Lord."

Umbridge dropped her quill. She quickly called it up from the floor and her bulging toad-like eyes were hard on Beatrice as she moved on, edging Hermione out of the way. "Move aside. Miss?"

"Granger," said Hermione. "Hermione Granger."

"Miss Granger," said Umbridge, consulting her roster. "No one returns to witch form after being crucioed in their animagus form. You obviously have quite an imagination." She turned to Beatrice. "Now sit!" She glanced back at her roster. "Gregory Goyle."

Goyle patted the seat beside him and leered at Beatrice.

She turned into a bunny and darted for the door.

"Beatrice no!" said Hermione who rushed to pick up the bunny.

Umbridge glared at Hermione and Beatrice. "No _pets_ in my class," she said, completely ignoring the fact that she had just seen that Beatrice was a witch moments before. "Bring that bunny here." Umbridge continued with the seat assignments ignoring the fact that there was no witch sitting next to Gregory Goyle. Hermione moved uncertainly towards the front of the room.

Pointing to the next seats, Umbridge said, "Finnegan, Foresman."

"Granger, Edward Lestrange."

Hermione sat down in the front row with Beatrice on her lap.

"She means you too, Donnally," remarked Colin who had not gone anywhere near Samara. "No pets!" said Colin in a low undertone.

Although Umbridge hadn't seen them yet, Harry and most of Gryffindor Tower knew that Samara was wearing her entire contingent of Basilisks under her robe. Most Gryffindors gave her a wide berth. Samara had leaned in to help Gregory Goyle find his Defense book as Umbridge continued to study the roster.

"Ms. Umbridge," Hermione interrupted again, and finally Umbridge looked up to find that a number of the students had not taken their assigned seats. "

"Mr. Creevy, sit down," said Umbridge. "Ethan Lestrange, Longbottom."

Ethan and Edward moved together, the magic between them crackling madly, as they touched hands and smirked. Harry thought, Umbridge must be insane to sit the twins together. None of the teachers sat them together. For Merlin's sake, the teachers all separated Fred and George and they were a whole lot less dangerous than the Lestrange twins! Ethan had begun rhythmically snapping his fingers, calling a tiny candle flame to his hands with each snap and then smothering it in his palm as he motioned Neville to his side. Neville had a death grip on his wand and looked like he might be sick. He did not move. He just stared at the Lestrange brothers, but Umbridge was still occupied with Colin Creevy.

"Mr. Creevy," Umbridge repeated. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Now sit."

"Not until she gets rid of her—_pets_," said Colin stubbornly pointing at Samara.

"Malfoy, Midgin," she read without looking at the seats or Creevy. "Mr. Creevy, I said, Sit down." Umbridge was getting a little red in the face and Harry wondered if she was going to be able to handle a recalcitrant class.

"You can't expect me to sit by_ her_," Colin whined. "She has basilisks—"

"A basilisk is a mythical creature-----," said Umbridge. "Sit, down now."

"No," said Colin moving away, frightened. He looked as if he was ready to bolt.

"I'll sit by Samara," volunteered Harry, trying to avoid an argument.

Shesha stirred happily at being near her bitemates, and Harry heard Ginny shushing Visha who was a little put out that Ginny wasn't sitting with them too.

"Did I address you?" Umbridge snapped. "No. Did I give you permission to speak? No. And you are?"

"Harry Potter, ma'am."

"Oh yes, the boy with the delusions of grandeur. Well, not in this school any longer," she said succinctly.

"No, ma'am," Harry said.

"Don't contradict me! Ten points from Gryffindor," she spat and frowned at the contingent of students still to be seated. She turned back to Hermione, obviously needing to make an example of someone. "You! Bring that bunny up here."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Hermione. She threw Harry a fearful glance, but got out of her seat and slowly approached the front of the classroom and Umbridge's desk..

"As Hermione reached the front desk, Umbridge transfigured a vase of flowers into a cage. The cage was green with edges of leaves still on the bars and Harry concluded immediately that transfiguration was not her strongest subject. "Now, Miss Ellis, you will transform back to a student and attend this class or you will spend it in a cage. Your antics will not keep you from attending class." Harry saw Hermione hesitate and throw him a pleading glance.

When Beatrice didn't change back, Madam Umbridge glowered. "It seems you need some extra transfiguration work."

Millicent Bullstrode snorted and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Put the rabbit in," Professor Umbridge said, gesturing to the leafy cage.

"Beatrice, please transform," whispered Hermione, but Harry was already on his feet. He knew Hermione was loathed to object to anything that a teacher told her to do, but he had no such qualms. "You won't put her in a cage," he said calmly. "She's a person, not an animal, but she can listen just fine in her animagus form. She can't change when she's nervous. She has had problems with it before she was _crucioed_, now it's even worse."

"Mr. Potter, sit down."

But Harry did not sit. He waited, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hand already on the wand in his pocket. "If you leave her alone, she'll get the transfiguration. She just needs a little time."

"Sit!" Umbridge growled.

"You can't continue to frighten her--"

"This is my class and I can do as I see fit."

"But--"

"Sit down, Mr. Potter, and put your wand away!"

"Yes, Potter, do sit down," snarled Draco. "Some of us are actually here to learn, not to engage in your theatrics--"

"Draco--"began Hermione, but he froze her with an icy stare. "Mudbloods do not address me by my given name," he said coldly.

Delores Umbridge continued to glare at Harry. "Sit," she repeated sharply.

"I don't have my seat assignment," Harry pointed out, gripping his wand more tightly. He knew where the alphabetical order would put him, beside Parvati Patil but since she wasn't there, that put him between Pansy Parkinson and Lou Styvesant

Umbridge cleared her throat nervously and reached for Beatrice.

Harry's eyes met Hermione's just before Umbridge touched Beatrice.

**"Accio,"** he said and Beatrice levitated across the room like a speeding bullet to his waiting arms. He watched Umbridge's toad-like face puff up in anger. He felt his own anger building too, magic crawling across his skin, like electricity.

"I've had just about enough of your parlor tricks, Potter," snapped Umbridge. "Detention. Now, put the rabbit in this cage and sit down."

"I don't think so," said Harry wand in hand, he tucked Beatrice under his arm as he backed towards the door and tried to control his magic. There was no way he was turning his back on a Death Eater--no way he was putting Beatrice in a cage even for a moment. There were some things, he thought that were too important to give in for, even to a teacher.

"Young man, if you walk out of that door, you will have a month of detention and I will see to it that you never play Quiddich again."

Harry took a deep breath and looked down at Beatrice, helpless in his arms. As soon as his eyes left Umbridge, she threw a spell at him. He recognized it as some variation of the accio charm, but it left the arm that held Beatrice numb from the power of it. Instinctively he threw up a block, but his magic scattered uncontrolled, splintering the cage Umbridge had transfigured and several desks with its uncontrolled power.

The nearby students screeched and either threw up shields or ducked under the desks. Harry could see the fear in his fellow classmates eyes as he backed several more steps, stepped across the threshold, and ran right into Snape.

"Excellent!" said Snape grasping him by the back of the neck "Now I won't have to bother Delores. Come Potter."

Samara was watching Ms. Umbridge with a frown. It was obvious to her that Umbridge had a Dark Mark. All the murkiness, which Samara associated with the Dark Mark, was in her aura, but she didn't remember seeing Umbridge at the Snow Castle, not once. She tried to remember if she was at the Ministry. Maybe she was a late recruit to the Dark Lord. That meant that she either wasn't actually aware of who Samara was in relation to the Dark Lord, or she didn't know about the basilisks, or she was playing some weird game. In any case, Samara took an instant dislike to the woman. She was overbearing, rude and just plain stupid. Even Valeriana was smart enough to ask the Dark Lord to separate her twins in the circle so as not to give them too much temptation to play, and everyone knew that Valeriana had most of her brain sucked out by dementers.

"You know, I could move," said Samara, not waiting for Umbridge to answer, she continued, "I'll trade places with—Neville," she said rescuing Neville from the fate of being beside both Lestrange twins and Draco Malfoy. His aura cleared and he practically dove to the seat by Colin Creevy. She thought it worked out nicely for both of them as she settled herself beside Draco. She turned toward Ethan, "Edward doesn't like my basilisks," she said. "You like them though, don't you, Ethan?"

"Barbeque or flambé" said Ethan, sparks dripping..

"They like warmth Ethan," she smirked. "They just might come out and play."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk," Draco said softly. "I'd hate for the Dark Lord to hear that menu idea from me."

Samara grinned at him. She knew the last thing Draco wanted to do was carry any tales to Voldemort, but Ethan didn't know that..

"Samara Donnally, you sit where I told you to," demanded Umbridge.

"Madam Umbridge," said Samara, moving to the front of the room and cornering Umbridge. "They don't like conflict," she whispered.

"They?"

Samara let Salacia poke her head from under the robe. "I have to keep them with me, and now Colin has them agitated."

Umbridge's eyes got wide as quaffles. "They're agitated?"

"Yes Ma'am," said Samara. "They have to be watched every minute." She leaned in close to Umbridge. So close she could smell the woman's stale mothball like perfume. Samara wrinkled her nose as she spoke. "They have to be ready you understand."

"Yes--yes, of course, b-but that isn't for days yet."

Samara raised an eyebrow, wondering what Umbridge knew that she didn't. She didn't like it, but could see no way of questioning her. "I really think it would be better if I traded places with Neville Longbottom," she said.

Umbridge nodded reluctantly and seated the rest of the students. "Where was I?" she wondered. "Oh yes, Malfoy, Midgin."

Eloise Midgin burst into tears. "If Samara can move, why can't I?" she asked. "Couldn't I sit where Harry Potter was supposed to sit?"

"No!" bellowed Umbridge.

"Don't worry, Eloise, I don't bite," said Draco. "At least not a nasty little mudblood like you," he muttered under his breath, and Samara felt the rush of Air Elemental before Draco turned and grinned at her. He had transfigured all of his teeth into fangs. Samara hid her laughter in her robe. Draco turned that same smile on Eloise and she screamed, jumping to her feet, and bumping into Alvin Nott, who caught her and held her upright. By the time Umbridge reacted, Draco's teeth were back to normal. Samara glared at him for his childish antics.

"H-he transfigured his teeth," stuttered Eloise, but Umbridge didn't believe her.

"No fifth year could have done that in so short a period of time," Umbridge disagreed as she seated Alvin Nott on the other side of Eloise. Alvin leaned in to Eloise and said innocently, "I don't mind that you're a mudblood." She scooted away from him, exactly splitting the distance between Nott and Malfoy. Lauren turned around to glare at the both of them and Millicent hid her head in her arms, as she dissolved into helpless laughter.

"Pansy Parkinson, Parvati.Patil and leave a place for Potter. Unfortunately, he will be back," Umbridge predicted. "Lewellyn Styvesant and Dean Thomas. Ron Weasley."

Lew was standing against the wall, reading a book. Ron poked him in the arm. "Lew! That's your seat."

Lew looked up at him blinking owlishly. "Wha--"

"Your seat," Ron hissed.

"Hem, hem," said Umbridge. "That doesn't look like a defense book." She snatched the book from Lew's hand.

"Hey!" he protested.

"What's this?" asked Umbridge frowning at the cover. "Muggle smut?"

The Slytherins in the room broke into snickers.

"Research," said Lew coolly. "May I have it back."

"I think not," said Umbridge gesturing to the seat she had assigned Lew.

"Research?" murmured Ron frowning at Lew.

"On girls," Lew explained in a whisper. "Remember the Hufflepuff girls that came to the party in Gryffindor?"

Ron nodded.

"Well--" Lew began, then decided to shut his mouth as Umbridge glared at him. "Tell you later," he mouthed at Ron.

"Virginia Weasley and Blaise Zambini," Umbridge concluded. "Now," she said, closing the roster with a snap, "We need to determine where you are in your studies."

Hands shot into the air. Amazingly, most of the Slytherins raised their hands. All of them were tense. Samara frowned at the condition of their auras on a whole. Why were they all so tense? Of course, Hermione was waving excitedly to Umbridge, but she ignored Hermione, choosing to call on one of the Slytherins, Lauren Avery, instead.

Every time Samara looked at the girl's aura she felt a lump in her throat. She didn't know why. Obviously Lauren wasn't the only one with a Dark Mark that she didn't want, but somehow it felt wrong that she had it. It was as if a pall had fallen over them. They had not escaped unscathed.

Lauren recited what they had learned that year including everything with wards and sleep spells. She included wand cores and the theory behind different types of wands as well as the dangers of wandless magic. She said nothing about the patronus spell or the fact that they had to accio someone's wand every time they entered the class or risk detention from Snape to practice. Of course if you were the one the wand was accioed from it stood to reason you had detention. Lauren said nothing about the speed drills Snape made them perform with the wards or the fact that he was as likely to curse you as say hello when you entered his class, so everyone came in with their wands drawn.

"I'm sure Professor Snape did a fine job," said Umbridge, but his notes are rather vague. "What did you do with the patronus spell?" she asked confused.

Hermione waved her hand anxiously, but Umbridge called on Draco.

"We had to list what our greatest fears would be if we were faced by a dementor and write a parchment about what happy memory we would choose to make a patronus," said Draco calmly. All around, the Slytherins were nodding. Slowly, Hermione lowered her hand, frowning at the Slytherins' collective lying, and Samara could see some of the tension go out of the Slytherin auras. She exchanged a puzzled look with Hermione.

As soon as class was over, Samara cornered Alvin and Lauren. "Why did everyone lie about the patronus?" she asked "Snape taught us that."

"And damned few of us can do it," said Alvin. "We thought it best to let her think that none of us can."

"That we were never taught it," said Lauren.

"Most of the Slytherins liked the idea to keep their grades from falling," said Draco, as he came up to put his hand on Samara's shoulder. "But some of us like the Dark Lord not knowing how many little Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs can do the patronus spell."

"Don't forget the Ravenclaws," said Lauren.

"Yeah, but they could do it before Snape finished the lesson," said Alvin with a groan. "Kills the average for the rest of us."

"Is He coming here?" whispered Samara. "To Hogwarts?"

Lauren nodded. "My dad thinks so."

"When?" asked Samara.

"No one knows," said Alvin. "I don't think he even told Snape. You know how paranoid he is, Draco. He still hasn't found who tipped off the aurors at the Ministry so they could get the wards down. If that hadn't happened, he would have killed Dumbledore himself. Plus there was the whole fiasco with getting the vampires and veelas caught again. The werewolves weren't so bad since the full moon was over. After Harry Potter escaped with the Prophecy children he killed seven veelas and curcioed Darschell into a blubbering idiot.

"Oh you didn't hear the rest of it," said Lauren. "He set vampires on the Death Eaters and then he had your dad set the dementers on the veelas. I don't know how many were kissed, but Darschell was one of them.

Alvin choked. "They were kissed?" He shuddered with the thought. "Why?"

"They kept the intruders from being caught and Voldemort knew they were aware of the intruders, said Lauren. "Valeriana and Narcissa knew that the veelas had some of the boys at one point and they were not too interested in what Voldemort wanted."

"Mum said they were insolent," added Draco

"He had them kissed for being INSOLENT!" said Alvin appalled.

"Well, then they lost the rescuers, the Muggles and one of the veelas left with them. It looked like at least some of the veelas were in on the rescue. He'll be on a rampage," said Draco.

"We need to be ready," added Samara.

"On the other hand maybe He'll be too concerned with his internal affairs to come to Hogwarts," said Lauren.

"He'll come," said Draco. "But he won't give anyone a warning. If he even told my parents, they are being very secretive about it," said Draco. "With Dumbledore dead, the next possible step would be Harry Potter." Draco paused, "Or you of course," he said indicating Samara.

"You mean us, don't you?" said Samara.

"That still pisses the hell out of him, you know that, don't you?" said Draco.

Samara nodded leaning in for a kiss. "I don't care, do you?"

"Mum said we owe Snape a favor. He went out on a limb for us, telling the Dark Lord we both had to be here for some emerald." Said Draco.

Samara turned, staring at Draco. "He did that?"

"Hopefully, it will give the Dark Lord time to cool off a bit, and if he's happy about the emerald, well that would help." Draco sighed. "Mother wouldn't tell me anything else. She said she wanted to sleep. She wasn't in the best of moods after he finished with her."

He punished her?" asked Nott. "Why?"

"The question isn't why, it's why wasn't I there to see it."

"Draco, she's still your mother," said Alvin disapprovingly.

Draco simply fixed him with a cold stare. "She and Aunt Valeriana knew that the Weasleys were there, and the Weasley's opened his room. That's why she was crucioed."

"Woah," said Alvin. "Kind of makes you want to rethink how you treat the Weasley's," he said.

"Not really," said Draco, but with a stern look from Samara he refrained from explaining.

Harry reacted on instinct. Snape's hands around the back of his neck and the bunny in his arms could have made him helpless, but he remembered Ginny's elbow to the gut that incapacitated her brother. He used the same Muggle move rather well, freeing his wand arm letting loose of the bunny and shouting, "Expelliaramus!" followed immediately by both a crippling hex and a blinding hex. It was only when the formidable wizard sunk to his knees, with both hands going automatically to his eyes, that Harry realized it was Snape. Beatrice was long gone.

"Finally, Potter," said Snape in a rasping voice. He took several deep breaths, and slowly, by touch alone found and picked up his wand. "I would have chosen a different hex though. I still have the use of my hands and voice."

Harry nodded, and then realizing that Snape couldn't see, continued aloud.. "If it wasn't you, I would have continued hexing," Harry said softly, blowing out his breath and pushing back his unruly blowing hair.

"So you trust me?" asked Snape.

"Ha! Not exactly," said Harry and Snape's lip curled in a semblence of a smile. "I just want some answers. _Finite incantum_," Harry said ending the blinding curse and freeing the use of Snape's legs.

"I did accidental magic," Harry said softly. "In Umbridge's class."

"I noticed," replied Snape.

"I haven't done that for--ages." Harry paused trying to remember when he last did accidental magic. Perhaps it was when he blew up Aunt Marge. He cast worried eyes at Snape. "It felt different somehow--more powerful--" Harry wanted to talk to someone else about this, perhaps Hermione, certainly not Snape.

"You have been under some stress lately," said Snape.

Harry fixed him with a glare the likes of which Snape had only seen in his mirror.

Snape sighed. "It means you are coming into your adult powers," he said. "You are fifteen. It's nothing out of the ordinary. As your powers change, your control over them changes. The loss of control is temporary, Potter. You should know that." Snape shrugged. "As your powers settle to their new levels you will gain control again."

"But the prophecy," interrupted Harry. "It says,_ children._ We--I--I can't have adult powers yet. I won't be able to fight Him." Harry felt his throat closing with panic.

"Just because your voice squeaks when you are thirteen doesn't mean you are a man, Potter. And you are not an adult wizard just because you had one incident of accidental magic. This _was_ only the first incident wasn't it?" asked Snape leaning closer than Harry ever wanted him to be.

"Yes," said Harry turning away. "This was the first time--I think--" He tried to remember if anything he did at the Snow Castle could count as accidental magic.

"What do you mean, you think Potter. You did or you didn't. You can't possibly be that inept."

"No," said Harry forcefully. "That was the first time I've done accidental magic since the beginning of third year--"

"Good," Snape nodded. "Come, we have to talk." In a billow of robes Snape started down the corridor. Harry hesitated only a second, mulling over Snape's loyalty before following him. Maybe Snape was going to kill him like he killed Dumbledore. His stomach did a little flip flop.

On the other hand, perhaps it would be for the best, he thought, better than dying by Voldemort's hand. He stood, at last outside of Snape's doorway. He no longer cared if Snape killed him too With Dumbledore gone it was just too much. He felt like the weight of the wizarding world was on his shoulders, well, of course, it was. It has always been.

"I've been expecting you, Potter," said Snape as he moved away from the doorway to his dungeon office and motioned Harry in. "After all, you have a penchant for sneaking around after hours to find out things that don't concern you. I didn't expect to have to fetch you. I expected you to come to me for assistance."

Harry raised and eyebrow thinking Snape expected him to ask for help? Was he nutters? And yet Harry had considered Snape as a source of information.

"I did come," said Harry, "but then I realized, no one can help me."

"No. No one can, but Hogwarts can help you."

"I know it protects me, but nothing can protect me from what's coming now. The prophecy says it all: kill or be killed--and I can't--I can't--"

"You are not powerless," said Snape.

"I know. It's not a question of power. It's a question of will." Harry's voice dropped to a whisper. "I can't kill another person. Not even Voldemort."

"Then your parent's death meant nothing," said Snape. "All I and the Order have done, and even Albus' sacrifice was for nothing" Snape's dark eyes stared accusingly at Harry.

"Albus sacrifice?" asked Harry. "What are you playing at?"

"I am not playing. This is no game, Potter."

"I want to know the truth," said Harry, but Snape didn't answer. Ever since Ginny hinted at Snape's involvement with the spell that his mother used and it's similarity to the one that killed Dumbledore, Harry wanted to find out what really happened. He wanted to compare what Snape said with what Ginny said. He tried to find the answer by sneaking outside of Snape's quarters, but it seemed as if Snape were as illusive as smoke. He was rarely in his chamber. Harry wondered where he was, and the longer he thought about it the more he thought Snape was making some deal with the Dark Lord. It would make sense. With Dumbledore dead, the Dark Lord should have followers flocking to him. Who would think that Harry could win this? Hell, Harry didn't even think he could win. Voldemort was going to crush him.

"I want to know the truth," Harry repeated.

"I suppose it is high time for that," Snape agreed. "But what makes you think I have any idea what the truth is?" Snape asked.

"Ginny," said Harry.

"Ginny isn't even the truth," Snape replied.

"I know."

For a long moment they looked at each other, Harry thinking of all the pranks his father and Sirius had pulled on Snape. Were they in some measure responsible for his going to the Dark Lord? Was that what set this all in motion?

"No," said Snape. "Your pathetic father had nothing to do with it."

"Stay the hell out of my mind," shouted Harry.

"I wasn't in your mind, fool. Your guilt and grief is written all over your face. Who needs Occlumency? You are an open book, Potter. Of course since you barely know how to read, that cliché probably means nothing to you."

"I don't need this," snapped Harry, heading for the door.

"As a matter of fact, you do! You needed this long ago," said Snape, snatching his arm and turning him around. The door slammed closed with a silent spell.

Harry had one thought-- _get away from me, asshole. _Snape staggered back as though struck, by a blast of air in the closed room, and Harry stared at him. He hadn't said a spell, but he felt the expulsion of power from his person, and Snape was on the floor. The rush of power that flowed over him felt euphoric, and it was a moment before Harry could speak.-- "I just did that, didn't I?" said Harry.

Snape nodded. He was holding his injured wand arm at his side. It was completely useless and Snape's brow was covered with a fine sheen of sweat. Harry felt dizzy, and clinging to the table, he blew out his breath, seeking to get a better hold on himself. "How did I do that?" asked Harry.

"Power he knows not," quoted Snape.

"But that's supposed to be my mother's love," said Harry.

"Make no mistake, your mother did love you, but that is not what saved you, and we should be grateful for that. Because if it was the love of a mother that was your power, the side of light would be in dire straights now."

"Why?"

"Because Ginny Weasley loves Tom Riddle, and the love of a mother always gives way to the love of--that kind."

Harry gaped and when he realized that he was staring open mouthed like a fish he consciously got hold of himself. "But I don't have any special power," he said.

"You have your birthright--the Elementals, the edge of Death, where he fears to go. He has left too much of himself there already."

"I don't believe you. Why now? I mean I'm fifteen years old. Why would this birthright come now?"

"Why indeed?" said Snape. "Because you are on the cusp of manhood. _Ware of losing your childhood soon,_" Snape quoted. "Soon it will be too late and Voldemort will have won. This is what I warned Albus of.

"He was a great man," said Harry testily.

"I am aware of that," said Snape, and then he continued, "Perhaps more aware than you know, but all the time he wanted to protect you as a child was lost. If you had been sorted into any other house, he wouldn't have been so protective of you. He would have let you grow. In Slytherin. _Quit_ would have taught you the length and breadth of your power. In Ravenclaw you would have researched your ancestry and knew that the combination of your mother and father would yield power of Meridius' line. In Hufflepuff you would have extended yourself for others, over and over again until the power grew strong, but in Gryffindor, your power could only be manifest by your isolated incidents of heroism. It wasn't enough. Plus, there is Albus' choice to house you with the Muggles." Snape sighed. "Lily would have been appalled at your weakness. Lily would have wanted you to grow."

"You don't know my mother. Don't ever speak ill of her."

Snape smirked at him, and chose to answer the second statement rather than the first. "I wouldn't ever speak ill of her," Snape said in a low tone that sent chills over Harry's skin. "Never."

The implications evident in his words, enraged Harry. "You--you--pervert," snapped Harry.

"And what is perverted about admiring a beautiful woman?" asked Snape. "You have done it, and if I remember correctly, you didn't even care about her--" He paused consciously gauging Harry's reaction. "--like I cared about Lily.

Harry's face flamed red as he thought of Snape catching him with Cho, but the thought of Snape touching his near sainted mother, filled him with rage.

Snape continued undaunted, turning away from Harry and staring into the fire. "I did admire her, but when it became clear that she loved that empty-headed fool, your father, I let her go. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. She asked for my friendship, and I gave it to her. I couldn't refuse her--anything."

Harry wanted desperately to get off of this abhorrent subject, so he brought up another abhorrent subject.

"But you killed Dumbledore," said Harry weakly. "Would my mother have wanted that? Why haven't the Aurors come to take you away? Why?" Harry's voice dropped to a whisper. "It's not fair."

Fair?" scoffed Snape, as he paced, robes billowing. "What is ever fair? The Ministry Officials will not come because too many of them are owned by the Dark Lord. It has been so for a long while now, including Fudge.

"Since September," said Harry forgetting that he had learned that fact while evesdropping and hiding under the Invisibility Cloak in the library.

Snape started. "I thought so," He said softly. "I could feel your panic."

"And you," growled Harry. "You are owned by the Dark Lord too. Why else would you have killed Dumbledore? He trusted you!"

Snape looked at him for a long moment. "Why indeed," he asked. Are you going to look into this pensieve or not?

Harry moved forward and peered into its silvery depths. The surface boiled and finally cleared. Harry touched it and stepped through.

His mother, his very beautiful, very powerful, very pregnant mother was standing in front of Snape, holding both of his hands in her own. She looked like a ray of sunshine in robes the color of summer wheat. Her green eyes were intense as she entreated him to do something for her. They were standing in the garden outside of a huge well-kept manor house that Harry didn't recognize, but Snape did. It was Snape Manor. Lily squeezed Snape's hands in her own. She shifted uncomfortably with her advanced pregnancy. It was obviously sometime in the summer just before Harry was born and it was very warm, but Harry didn't think the weather had anything to do with the sweat that was giving Snape a chill. "I know I'm asking a lot, Severus, but I don't know anyone else powerful enough to protect him. Please, for old times sake, Severus say _yes_." She pulled Severus' long fingered hand forward and placed it on her distended belly.

"Does James know you are asking me this?" said Snape pulling his hands from hers. Turning away and pruning several small plants, he added them to his collecting basket. His long fingers flashed with practiced ease and he stood, brushing the dirt from his robe. Harry realized Snape was wearing Slytherin green, not black, bits of garden dirt and herbs clung to it, visible on the ivory trim.

"No. James wanted a Ravenclaw," said Lily. "He wished your brother to do it, but considering the circumstances--"

Snape growled, a sound filled with pain and menace. The memory suddenly slid sideways with dizzying speed and Harry was watching a Quiddich game, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. The Seekers were high above the pitch, so high they were both only dots on their brooms. Snape was watching Ravenclaw's Seeker, with omnoculars and gasped when he suddenly went for the snitch, not down, but up--up to an impossible height. The Gryffindor Seeker went for the snitch too and there was a mad rush, the brooms colliding roughly and somebody tumbling off of their broom. A flash of pale skin and lank dark hair passed before his eyes before the boy hit the ground with a dull thump. Blood spattered around his body as he hit. It was horribly obvious that the Ravenclaw -Seeker was dead on impact. James, Harry's father circled the pitch holding up the fluttering golden snitch, reminding Harry somewhat of Cedric Diggory obliviously catching the snitch when he himself had fallen from his broom, but Dumbledore's quick thinking had saved. him; nonetheless, Harry shivered with the thought of Malfoy playing his dementor trick. Of course then, Harry wasn't that high. It was different when you were flying high. There was more time to react. Belatedly, in the pensieve, James Potter had flown to the fallen player. Harry knew enough about flying to know that the Ravenclaw Seeker didn't have to die, if only his father had thought a little quicker, he could have caught him on his own broom. He could have flown faster than the boy fell, or at least he could have on today's brooms. Were the brooms of the seventies fast enough? James didn't even try…The same dexterity that caught the snitch could have caught the boy. Harry knew; he would have tried. He also knew as well as Snape that his father may or may not have been able to save the skinny kid if he had forgone the snitch, but he didn't try. He never took his eyes from the snitch. Perhaps, like Cedric, with his eyes focused on the snitch, James just didn't notice. Harry shook his head. He would have noticed. He should have noticed. The Seeker may not see every goal, but Seekers never let their mind wander far from the other Seeker, not if they are a good player.

Suddenly the memory of the broken body was squelched as Snape buried his face in someone's yellow robes, and Harry heard the tearful voice of his mother. Harry realized with a start, that Severus had been watching the game with Lily and several others who gave them a wide berth. "Severus? Severus let's go see if--if--" her voice broke off, and Severus snarled at her. "If what? If there are any pieces of my brother left unbroken? I'll never forgive your precious James for this. Never!" Snape pulled himself to his feet and Lily called after him. "Severus, it wasn't James' fault! It was an accident. A horrible accident."

"A Seeker always knows where the other Seeker is--always!" snarled Snape.

_(A/N: I know, JK later said James was a Chaser, but I thought of him as a Seeker since Harry got the Seeker job, and I just can't change the image. Sorry.)_

The memory faded into the first one, and Snape was standing with Lily back in the garden.

"Please Severus," his mother was saying. "Do this for me. Look after the child. Dumbledore says that this child will be powerful. He needs you." She was rubbing her hands over her distended stomach in a nervous gesture.

"He has you, Lily," said Snape.

"No, he doesn't, or he won't."

"What?" said Snape, but Lily waved away his question.

"Just Frank, shooting off his mouth."

"Frank Longbottom?" clarified Snape, but Lily had already continued.

"Dumbledore thinks that little Harry will one day defeat Voldemort. He is the child prophesied."

Snape snorted his disbelief and continued to prune leaves from the plants.

"You know that power attracts attention," said Lily. "I don't want him getting the wrong kind of attention. Better to be anonymous. He will be safer if the powers at the time don't know that he will be Meridius' agent.. It will be better if he is known as nothing but a mediocre wizard with mediocre powers. Dumbledore agrees with me."

Dumbledore," snapped Snape. "He thinks he can control every aspect of the prophecy. I wouldn't be surprised if he used a love potion to get you and James together when he saw the saw the possibilities of Meridius line between the two of you."

Lily laughed. "Don't be bitter, Severus. I love James."

"That's the purpose of a love potion," said Severus dryly and when she said nothing, he slapped the basket down on a rock sat beside it and sighed. "It's no love potion," he said softly.

"You checked?" she said, obviously understanding more of the snarky professor than Harry had thought.

Severus nodded, and Lily laughed. It was a beautiful sound, like the tinkling notes of phoenix song. Harry had never heard her laugh. He had only heard her cry and scream. Suddenly, Snape caught her hands, encompassing them in his own. "Lily," he said as he pulled her into his embrace and whispered against her lips. "Leave James and I will protect both you and the child. No one need know he is of Meridius' line. I will claim it as my own. It doesn't matter to me. He could be heir to Snape Manor; but my father will probably disown me. Believe me, Lily, I will never, never let you or the child be hurt, even if my father disowns me." His lips covered Lily's in a passionate kiss, with the evidence of James love for her bulging between them. With her belly full of Jame's child, she responded to Snape's kiss. She reached up and ran her fingers through his fine hair whispering against his lips, "Oh Severus."

Harry stared in fascinated horror as she broke the kiss and groaned softly, laying her head on Snape's shoulder. "We've had this conversation before, Severus."

"And it has never come to a satisfactory conclusion."

"I can't do this. I love you both so much," whispered Lily.

"Spare me from the indecision of Hufflepuffs," said Snape in a dry toneless voice, but he didn't let go of her.

"I'm not indecisive. It's just so hopeless," she moaned. "And James needs me. This child needs me. Besides, I can't be the fault of your family disowning you. _I just can't_. I see what Andromeda did to Sirius' family. They are at each others' throats. Even he and Regulus are on the outs._ Regulus!_ I won't be the cause of your going against your father's wishes. I won't. It would be a mistake. In the end you would hate me for it, just like Sirius blames Ted Tonks."

"Don't compare me to that mongrel," snapped Snape pacing abruptly away.

"But that's just it," said Lily following him. "He's not a mongrel. I am."

"I don't care," said Snape taking her in his arms again. "It's not all on your head, you know. You should learn to let others make their own mistakes. Stop taking on the problems of the world." He brushed a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't lecture me, Severus," Lily said, and then her voice was muffled in his desperate kiss. Her mouth opened beneath his and she wrapped her arms around him pulling him closer. Harry, in Snape's memory, realized that the slimy git could feel the bulge of her stomach between them and he didn't care.

Harry was hyperventilating as he saw and felt her response through Snape's pensive--Snape's memory. He was propelled beyond disgust. To realize that Snape kissed his mother like that was bad enough. To realize that she liked it was yet another thing, and to be party to it by seeing it in Snape's pensieve through Snape's memory of it was just too much. Harry pulled himself abruptly from the pensieve, and stood shivering with reaction, his hands over his face willing himself not to be sick.

Snape withdrew from the pensive too. "You are Meridius' agent," he said. "That is why you can defeat Voldemort." He said nothing about the kiss, which was fine with Harry. He wanted to forget it as soon as possible.

"I wanted Albus to tell you--not me--" Snape said in a harsh whisper.

At length Harry asked, "Why didn't Dumbledore tell me this?"

"Power unknown," said Snape.

"And now you've told me," spat Harry. "So I know. So your Master can destroy me?" He couldn't like the git. He found he hated him even more, not less, now, that he realized that there was something between Snape and his mother.

"You know nothing," said Snape. "I gave Lily my word that day. I would protect you. I wouldn't break that vow."

"Ha! What does your word mean? I suppose you promised Dumbledore too--"

Harry found himself smashed against the dungeon wall. He could barely breathe, and Snape snarled against his face. "I have kept my word. Why do you think I've wasted my life piddling around with potions and defense against the dark arts buried away here in academia? Why do you think I am still here in these cold miserable rooms at Hogwarts when I have a castle to rival Malfoy's at my disposal and house elves whose intelligence sets Malfoy's to shame? Why do you think I suffer day after day of incompetent imbeciles like you and the rest of Gryffindor house, by day, and Voldemort's minions at night, if not to fulfill my pledge to her?"

"You wouldn't do that," argued Harry. "You wouldn't. . . You're not that …nice…Why?" Harry glared at Snape, green eyes boring into black, willing Snape to tell him the truth. He wished he was strong enough to legilmize Snape, but if the Dark Lord couldn't tell what Snape was thinking, how did Harry think he could do it. Nonetheless, the thought came to Harry's mind: guilt. It was a familiar feeling.

"It's your fault," Harry whispered.

"Of course it's my fault," said Snape..

"What?" squeaked Harry. "If he could have moved he would have throttled the professor. His fault that Lily was dead? He knew that Snape had killed Dumbledore, but Lily was another matter altogether. "It's time you see the rest of this memory," said Snape. "But I am disinclined to let you see mine. Come. This memory is better viewed in Albus' pensieve. If I show you my view. . . Well, I shall not show you my view." he said, his voice hard, but as he put the pensieve away, his hands shook. Harry could never remember Snape's hands shaking. Never.

Next chapter: Dumbledore's pensieve and more...

**Please be a responsible reader and review now**. Go to Yahoo Groups TheSeersTruth and discuss the chapter. Where do you think this is going? I'd be interested to see your opinions. LL


	43. ch 43 For the Greater Good

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 43**

**For the Greater Good**

(A/N: After reading HBP, I had to keep reminding myself this is MY Snape, not JK's--although I loved chapter 2 of HBP. If you have forgotten what MY Snape has done, please glance through the summary below. Otherwise you may find yourself confused. There are enough similarities to be mind boggling, and believe it or not, there are MORE similarities with HBP in the next few chapters of ST:BTD. Good thing I'm not publishing this for money. I'd get sued.--LL)

**Disclaimer:** That said, the **real** Severus Snape and all the Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK. --Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui deMorte,** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Go to my author profile and click on homepage and it will take you to the Yahoo! group. ennui deMorte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…

(A/N: Thanks for your patience and I apologize for the delay, but you still haven's given my 15 reviews. I'll chalk it up to HBP stunned brains. My chapter should be on time, readers willing…)

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down. 3 turns should do it!)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder!

Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure. At last they escape the Snow Castle for the safety of Hogwarts, but is anywhere really safe?

Ginny reevaluates her relationship with Tom and Harry reevaluates Ginny. The reporters make it difficult for Harry and company to get through the Great Hall. The group contemplates what to tell the reporters, and it culminates with an encounter with Snape where Harry learns things he'd rather not know. Which brings us to the real question, Who's side is Snape on? Really? That's my Snape, not JK's Snape. Comparisons on Snape at The Yahoo group are welcomed, just be sure to mark a spoiler section at the top of the post.

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth (underscore between words if it deletes them) also, for more great stories, visit voldemortsreadinglist and Please Please Please add your own Slytherin fiction after you read and review.

Your review is my only payment. **Please be generous. This was a long arduous chapter especially after reading HBP. Your reviews are appreciated.**

And now, on to the chapter…

**Chapter 43 **

**For the Greater Good**

"Hurry up, Potter. Time is of the essence," said Snape as he dragged Harry forward into the corridor.

"Don't touch me," Harry snapped as he pulled out of Snape's grasp. "And I don't have to go anywhere with you."

"I am your guardian. You don't really have a choice," Snape said with a sneer but he didn't try to touch Harry again. He simply turned and walked away. Harry followed.

"What do you want from me?" Harry asked.

Snape sighed. "There are things you must know. Things you should have known long ago. Things which cannot be discussed in the corridor." Snape continued on in silence and Harry hurried to keep up with his long stride.

Harry and Snape completed the walk to Dumbledore's office in silence and Snape entered unhindered without even a password, ordering Harry abruptly with a word and a gesture to stay behind. Harry stopped automatically and then fumed as he stood in the corridor. Snape had no right to order him to do anything. He was a Death Eater, a murder, and a traitor. After a second of hesitation, Harry entered the room too, and found Snape with his back to him, standing in front of Fawkes' perch and looking below it with a scowl.

**_"Scourgify!"_** he said at last, cleaning the abundance of droppings from the floor, and then he heard Harry's movement behind him and turned. "I told you to wait," he sneered, targeting his wand on Harry.

"Are you going to curse me—maybe kill me?" Harry snapped. "Like you did Dumbledore?" Even though Harry realized that Snape had just turned as a reflex reaction, he wouldn't put it past the slimy git to curse him. Harry's own hand was in his pocket clutched around his wand. It wasn't the best way to do a spell, but he thought he could do a simple ward without even drawing the wand after Snape's _'Hell at Hogwarts'_ defense class.

"Why isn't your wand out, Potter?" Snape sneered.

"Oh, I'm ready for you," said Harry softly.

Snape glared at Harry, but after a moment, with clear reluctance he put the wand away. "Ten points for your cheek," he said, but Harry breathed easier with the man's wand off of him. Points off of Gryffindor didn't seem so terrible in the wake of all that had happened. Without speaking, Snape took the Pensieve from the shelf and at Snape's instruction, Harry touched the surface gently with his wand, and then paused, wondering if Snape would allow him to do this in private—probably not.

"Stop stalling, Potter," said Snape. "I don't have all day."

Harry fell into the Pensieve with no small amount of trepidation.

IXIMIXIMIXI

He was in Dumbledore's office, but Dumbledore was not alone. A group of wizards were surrounding him, Lily and James, both in Auror robes. If possible, Lily looked even more pregnant. It was obvious they were running out of time if they wanted to complete their task before Harry was born. Sirius, in the deep green dress robes was obviously some sort of Ministry elder and Severus, was still not in his typical black. His robe was an elegant dove gray, obviously expensive. Mrs. Figg who wore the robes of a school teacher, also wore a disapproving frown.

"I don't think that Severus should have care of the baby," said Mrs. Figg. "It just isn't seemly. I mean, what if the child is a girl?"

"It isn't," said Lily.

"Madam Pomfrey has determined the sex," said Albus.

"It is a boy, Harry Meridius Potter," James added.

"It isn't wise to announce his power to the world with a name like Meridius," said Snape. "Anyway, Arabella, most Slytherins are raised by house elves. I have the best breed in the wizarding world. They have twice the intelligence of normal house elves. I have been training one in particular for the child's protection. In any case, the house elves shall do the untoward tasks and I shall introduce him to magic."

"He won't be a Slytherin," said James with a shiver. "He will be a Gryffindor."

"Heaven forbid," muttered Snape with a glance to Lily. "We can always hope for Hufflepuff."

James snatched hold of Lily and dragged her roughly to his side.

Snape pulled his wand, glaring at the Gryffindor with a look of pure loathing that even Harry had never had directed his way.

"You forget she is _my_ wife, Severus," said James with a cold menace.

"How could I ever forget," sneered Snape.

"It's alright," Lily smoothed the escalating situation.

"And I think Meridius is a fine name," said Sirius in an inspired moment, and Snape lowered his wand. "Although, I thought you were naming him after a star," Sirius continued disappointed.

"Lily wants to name him Harry _James_," James said, waggling his eyebrows at Snape in a silly schoolboy taunt.

"This isn't about his name," said Snape irritated. He checked his timepiece. "I have a meeting at the Ministry shortly. Can we please get on with this Headmaster?" Snape tried not to look at Lily, but Dumbledore caught the pleading glance that she threw at him.

"Don't worry, Snivellus. They wouldn't dare start anything without you," said Sirius with a roll of his eyes.

"Sirius, stop it," pleaded Lily, but she was looking at her husband.

"Lily," James began. "I want—"

"No, James," she interrupted, green eyes flashing. "Voldemort has tracked us down twice now, even with the most sophisticated wards."

Harry noted the shuddering start that went through the group as his mother said Voldemort's name. She continued undaunted.

"I know what you want James, but you will not change my mind. We have gone over and over this, and my mind is made up." Her voice softened, but held an inviolable thread of iron. "James. I trust Severus with him. Aside from the fact that he has the Snape house elves and the Avery wards, he has the life debt with you—"

"But Lily—"

"Don't continue to fight me on this or you will find the true meaning of stubborn…"

"Oh, the perseverance of Hufflepuffs," intoned Snape.

"Actually, it was the inventiveness of the Averys that finally convinced James," said Lily with a small smile at Snape.

"I'm _not_ convinced," muttered James, but everyone ignored him.

"Arabella?" said Dumbledore, and Arabella Fig stepped forward.

"Nicholas and I have been working tirelessly on the potion," she said. "We think it will be indeed finished by the time the child is born, except of course for his blood."

"Ah yes," said Dumbledore dreamily. "Nicholas and I have had the occasion to work together on several ventures."

"Nicholas?" said Snape with awe. "Nicholas Flamel? I heard he was somewhat of a recluse."

"Of course, he is, but you know he was also my mentor when I was in school," said Arabella with a wave of her hand. "The important thing is we have to choose _protectors._ I, of course, will watch over the potion, and I believe James and Lily agreed on the others."

"Agreed is used loosely," said James with a crooked grin at Sirius. "I would have chosen you, Sirius for the child, but Lily insists you are irresponsible, and …"

"He is irresponsible," said Lily.

"And Snape would use Dark Magic…" countered James.

"Whatever it takes," breathed Lily in a low hiss.

"Oh, I don't think Severus would go that far," said Dumbledore, but the look exchanged by Lily and Snape spoke volumes to Harry. Severus would indeed, _had indeed_, invoked Dark Magic.

"I've already told Regulus he is my protector," continued James. "I'm sorry, Sirius, but if one day we need a secret keeper, I promise, it will be you," James joked."

Sirius blanched. "Regulus can't," choked Sirius.

"Well, I don't see he will have much of a chore to protect me, since I'm an Auror— You are just too obvious, Sirius."

"Regulus has the Dark Mark," Sirius blurted and everyone's eyes got wide. This was news to them, thought Harry, as Sirius continued. "Father insisted, and he gave in. He wants to leave the Dark Lord's service, but doesn't know how he can—the Dark Lord will kill him."

"Tell Regulus to come to me," said Albus. "I will try to help him. In the meantime, James chose another."

"Sirius," said James without hesitation.

Sirius nodded.

"How long will it take to finish the potion, blood and all?" asked Severus.

"That's just it," said Arabella. "The boy will not have enough blood in his body. It will have to be taken at intervals. Preserved and transported to me for the potion. I know you were always a good potions student, Severus. I don't think you will have any problem drawing the blood and preparing it for transport by owl."

"So, we are talking about blood drawn over several weeks? Months?" asked Severus.

"No," said Arabella. "It's more like several years, at least a year and a half, that's if the child is extremely healthy. We cannot take the blood if he has any illness within him. I will show you how to brew several potions to ward off infection and childhood illnesses."

"See here, I am not having my child raised by that—" snapped James. He turned accusingly on his wife. "You didn't tell me it would be years—"

Lily was white as a ghost. "Shut up," she snapped at James. "You will be able to visit him. I will not. If I can make that sacrifice, you can abide by my wish and put him in the care of a wizard that we both know will protect him, no matter what the cost."

"Are you sure it's just the child you want him to protect?' snarled James.

Lily clenched her hands and Harry watched as a light wind seemed to lift her hair a little, letting the summer sunshine catch the fiery highlights in it. "James, just trust me," she said, this time through clenched teeth, and she sucked in her breath, her hand going to her belly.

"That will do," said Dumbledore, taking Lily's arm and helping her to sit.

"And if it is any consolation to you, James," Snape added, "I am getting married."

"Who would have you?" snapped Sirius.

"Nathara Parkinson," said Snape.

"She's eight years younger than you," said James. "She wasn't even in Hogwarts when we graduated."

"Yeah, what's with robbing the cradle, Snivellus?" asked Sirius.

"It's a Slytherin marriage," said Snape. "My father insists, now that I'm the heir, I should breed up Snapes for posterity." His voice was bitter and his eyes were on Lily. Harry could feel the unease in the room even through the Pensieve. "He reminds me that she will grow up and be ready for children one day. In the meantime, she can provide the softer feminine touch to your child's care when she is home from school on holiday. She is the eldest of three so she has some experience with her younger brothers and as Lily said, I will protect him with my life."

"You're damned right you will," said James.

"And she's a pureblood," said Sirus mockingly.

Snape didn't look at him. "Yes, she is," he said.

IXIMIXIMIXI

"Professor?" Harry withdrew abruptly from the Pensieve and looked at Snape.

Snape's face was wet with tears. Harry was so shocked that he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He just stared at Snape. Snape moved so quickly, Harry later doubted what he had seen. Surely he had not seen Snape in a moment of vulnerability? Snape dried the tears with a quick wave of his hand, and sneered, taking his venom to a new level of nastiness. "I thought you wanted to know what was going on. Do you think you know it all already, Potter?"

"No, I—" began Harry, trying to wipe the vision of a crying Snape from his mind. It was almost more disconcerting than Snape snogging his mother. "I just wondered what this potion does." Harry had, of course, heard of the potion from Ginny and if there was any truth to Ginny's claims, she heard of it from Tom Riddle. Nonetheless, Tom Riddle was not such a paragon of truth that Harry was ready to believe it. Perhaps if Snape told the same story it would lend credence to Tom's story. He awaited Snape's reply.

"The potion prolongs the spell, thus making the charm of some use."

After a short pause, as if considering whether he should broach this topic at all, Snape continued. "The charm, or enchantment of charms, which your mother was to cast, when the time came, would pull your magic from you. The power wasn't important to you. You were just a child.

"This charm, done occasionally by Aurors upon each other when they were surrounded by dementors, can draw either soul or magic or both from another wizard for just a moment. However, what is yours, seeks to remain yours, and it returns to you. The power leaches almost instantly back to the wizard it was taken from, but sometimes, that moment can make a difference between life and death."

"It sounds Dark," said Harry.

"It is."

"My mother would not use Dark Magic herself…" Harry insisted.

"Have you heard nothing I said?" snapped Snape. "She would and did—not often—she would much rather have let another do the Dark work for her." He paused, letting his meaning sink in before continuing in a low baritone, "Your mother used a spell that leached the magical power from you, a mere baby, so that she could use the power herself. No matter that she did it for a good purpose. No matter what the end result of the spell, it was undoubtedly a Dark spell—and not the first."

"But—" began Harry.

"Did I bring you here for nothing?" sneered Snape, pointing to the Pensieve. With a sigh, Harry continued viewing the memory.

IXIMIXIMIXI

Lily was speaking matter of factly about the spell.

"It will take a lot of power from me and it wouldn't last long enough for me to recover and use another spell, but the potion is the wild card. There will only be a small window of opportunity to defeat Him after I recover, but before Harry's power begins to return to him."

"A few hours at most," Mrs. Figg added.

"That potion, a Dark Wizard would covet, but—"

"I should never have agreed to this," groused James.

"It will work," argued Sirius. "What will the baby be able to do with all that power? He doesn't need it, James, not now at least."

"You trust your wife, don't you?" sneered Snape, and James glowered at him.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," soothed Dumbledore. "The alternative is for you and your child to be hounded by Tom until He is destroyed—"

"Or we are," added Lily.

The room became quiet, all contemplating the ravages of war upon their families. "He will hound us to the grave, and our child will never be safe in our home," Lily continued softly. "This way, in time, he can come back to us James."

James said nothing but he did clasp Lily's hand tightly in his own.

Dumbledore looked at them over his half moon glasses. "If Lily completes the enchantment in conjunction with the potion and has time to recover before Voldemort arrives, you should still have plenty of time left to bind Tom and force him to relinquish his hold on the wizarding world," said Dumbledore. "It's the only way. We have to trust the prophecy."

"If the prophecy is true," countered Snape.

"_If _she completes the spell, _if_ the potion is correct, _if_ everything is perfect—" James ran his hand through his already messy hair, making it stand on end. "There are too many ifs," he said worriedly to his wife.

"A Gryffindor failing to jump headlong into danger? Yes, the world is indeed coming to an end," said Snape.

"I'm not the one jumping," snarled James.

"So you don't trust your wife—"

James pulled his wand, but Harry realized that Snape had already shielded wandlessly, but James did not cast a spell.

"Gentlemen," said Dumbledore. "I believe it is Lily's choice."

"Of course it is," said Snape smoothly. "I think we should trust Lily; she is, after all, a brilliant witch. I can only think of one mistake—"

James took a step towards Snape, but Sirus caught his arm. "James," he urged. "Trust Lily. You know she never makes mistakes when it counts."

Snape tensed, but Harry thought only Dumbledore noticed his discomfort.

Reluctantly, James put his wand away.

"Only by Meridius line is the rift healed," said Lily at last. "And only by our little Harry's magic can Voldemort be defeated."

"Well, it looks like we have all the details well in hand," commented Albus, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

Harry couldn't stop the sound of disbelief that escaped him—and Dumbledore had reprimanded _him_ for half-baked ideas—for rushing headlong into things he didn't understand. In hindsight, it was obvious that the Order didn't know what they were doing. Of course, maybe they really thought they could save him and his family. Harry sighed and listened to Mrs. Figg explaining how the potion worked.

"We worked the potion to allow the power transfer to last several hours," said Mrs. Figg. "By then, Lily, you should have recovered from the casting and Harry's magic should be useable for you and by the little Harry's magic, Voldemort can be defeated."

"But it's Lily's body that will be facing him," said James.

"Would you rather it was little Harry?" Lily said softly. "It will be years before his magic is sufficient to face Voldemort, if at all. I can't let our child do that. Surely you can't either."

"No," said James. "I just wish it were me instead of you."

"Don't we all," muttered Snape, and Dumbledore gave him a sharp look, but he seemed to be the only one who heard Snape.

"James—" said Lily. "We discussed this. If it were a transfiguration spell, it would be yours, but it's not. It's a charm; it has to be me. After all, you will be there to protect me."

"What if we have something wrong?" said James. "What if some part of this prophecy isn't Harry."

"He's right," interrupted Arabella Figg. "There are to be other prophecy children. One that is unsortable and another—"

"Let's keep our focus on Harry," urged Dumbledore.

"Are we finished here?" muttered Snape, stretching out his long legs and standing.

"I think so," said Mrs. Figg and Snape pulled out of the Pensieve followed by Harry.

IXIMIXIMIXI

"Something about the prophecy said it wasn't to be," commented Snape. "We were only dealing with the first line of the prophecy. We didn't ask for this task. We didn't know which part was yours, and which belonged to the second child—Samara."

"So my father was right," said Harry.

Snape didn't answer.

"I didn't ask for this either," Harry said to Snape. "I didn't want this prophecy. It's destroyed my life."

"Don't be melodramatic, Potter."

Snape paused and said an incantation. The Pensieve settled into a foggy liquid to be stored and Harry collected his thoughts as Snape covered the Pensieve in preparation to put it away. At last, Harry said, "My only memory of my mother is right before she died—screaming—"

"I remember," Snape said. "When you see dementors." Black eyes met green ones and Harry realized that Snape's sight of Harry's fear in the Pensieve was not a pleasant thought to him either, as Harry had believed all those weeks ago when they practiced Patronus spell.

"Why don't I have a few good family memories—" Harry couldn't help that his voice sounded whiny and scared. "The other witches and wizards in Gryffindor have early memories of their parents playing with them or saying—saying—" He couldn't finish the thought. He couldn't possibly complain to Snape that he had no memories of his parents saying they loved him.

"I have no such memories. Nothing." He groaned. "There are a few of my Dad. They are only indistinct and brief flashes, but at least I have some memory. My recollection of my Mum starts with her screaming in terror. It's not fair."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "It amazes me that you can possibly expect life to be fair, when it has dealt you that scar and all the responsibility that goes with it. I can, however, shed some light on why you do not have early memories of Lily, and probably so could Albus. He was present at your birth." Snape paused considering, and then turned back to the Pensieve. "Perhaps it will strengthen your resolve," Snape muttered as he removed the cover from the Pensieve and again waved his wand murmuring an indistinct incantation. The Pensieve swirled to life again and Harry realized he was witnessing his own birth. Snape withdrew to a corner of the room, amazingly allowing him some privacy.

IXIMIXIMIXI

Unlike Muggles of the time, Lily was prepared with potions and spells. A mediwitch that Harry didn't know and Dumbledore stood nearby. Lily didn't seem to be in pain, but an anxiety hung about her as she spoke to James. "You must take him right away."

"Don't you want to hold him?" asked James.

"Of course I do," said Lily, "but it isn't safe. The Centaurs have been prophesying his birth, and Trelawney isn't the only Seer you know—Severus will keep him safe."

"Snivellus isn't even here yet," said James.

"He will be. I trust him."

"Do you trust me?"

"Oh James, of course I do, Darling—" She reached for him, and the memory of Albus Dumbledore dissolved, as Albus apparently gave the young couple a few minutes privacy.

The next memory from Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve reformed as Severus strode into the antechamber.

"Is the child born?" he asked immediately.

"Not yet," replied Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "Very soon now."

"The Dark Lord knows something is happening," said Snape, pacing like a giant bat. "My Father—" He broke off as if just remembering who he was speaking to.

Dumbledore just twinkled at him, and after a moment of Snape's pacing, Dumbledore offered him a lemon drop.

Snape just sneered at him.

"Professor Dumbledore?" said the mediwitch from the doorway, and she brought a wrinkled, wet bundle to him. Dumbledore gazed at the child in his arms for a moment, but Snape practically snatched the baby away.

"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted. "Let the mediwitches get him cleaned up. Let his mother hold him first."

"No," Snape replied, pulling the child against his chest. "There is no time to waste. Get Potter and get the spell done."

"I'm here," said James pulling off hospital robes and reaching for his son.

Snape pulled the child closer. "The spell," he hissed.

James ran a loving finger over Harry's cheek and kissed his smooth forehead. Harry's clear green eyes regarded him with interest. "If you ever approach my child with malicious intent," James said softly, "you will die the most painful death you can imagine, and imperil your immortal soul."

"Can we get on with the spell?" said Snape again.

"I was just translating for you," said James. "The spell is in Sanskrit, not Latin."

Snape's nostril flared, but his black eyes remained resolute. "From Godric's spellbooks?" asked Snape, and James nodded.

"You won't be able to break the bond with my son. It requires blood."

"I didn't intend to break it," said Snape, as he drew blood from his unmarked left forearm. "Anything is better than owing a wizard's Life Debt to you, Potter."

Although Dumbledore could hear the spell that James spoke, his attention was on the staff, as he unerringly modified the memories of the mediwitches to make them believe that he, Harry, the child of Meridius' line, had died, and had been taken away by an anonymous family member to make funeral arrangements.

Harry thought he could hear a shuffling in the corridor beyond and the whiz of spells being cast. Dumbledore looked towards the door and held his wand poised, which told Harry he was right. As Dumbledore stood guard, James quickly spoke an incantation in a strange language that Harry didn't know. An eerie pink glow wrapped around Snape and the baby Harry. When it was finished, James slumped, exhausted, and Dumbledore looked worriedly at Snape. "I didn't think He would find them so soon. You need to go. Be safe."

Snape nodded and Apparated away with baby Harry.

James roused himself and stood with Dumbledore facing the door. "Go! Protect Lily. Take her where the Fidelius charm protects you." said Dumbledore. "I will stand with the Order outside. We won't let Him in."

"Third time's the charm," said James brandishing his wand. "Maybe we'll kill the bastard and we can bring Harry home."

IXIMIXIMIXI

The empty swirling of the Pensieve continued for a moment until Harry interrupted. "Well?" he said. "What happened next? Show me."

"I told you, I would not show you more in my Pensieve," growled Snape. Snape began to pace as if agitated. After a moment he explained, "Lily had never seen you. She bore you, and you were whisked away to me as she requested. I cared for you and watched you grow. I heard your first words. I saw your first steps and it was one of my potions flasks that you first broke with accidental magic at the age of eight months."

"Eight months?" said Harry. "That's unheard of!"

Snape didn't comment. "James came on occasion," he sneered, "but I tried to discourage the visits. He took stupid risks with you: flying on his broom with you in his arms. I explained to Lily," Snape paused, his voice husky. "She wanted to see you—just for a few hours. She convinced me. It was All Hallow's Eve, a time of power. The wards on Godric Hollow could be strengthened. It was as safe a time as we were likely to get—she wanted--the illusion of a loving family."

"Show me," Harry urged.

"No!" Snape growled. "I—will—not—show—you. It is bad enough I have to tell you, because that Gryffindor Headmaster was too cowardly to do the job. I delivered you to James and I delivered Lily to her death. Why the Mutt wasn't doing guard duty, I don't know. He's never satisfactorily explained that to me. After all, I can see why James didn't want me hanging around, but the Mutt was his friend."

Snape sighed and ran a hand through his lank hair before continuing.

"If Voldemort used _Avada_, you should have died too, but you are of Meridius line, the unknown power was already there, latent. The combination of James and Lily's blood added more power, for they were in some way the combination of Meridus line. That line has long been able to enter the edges of the Elementals and return again. They say it is _because_ Meridius opened the rift, but I think it is _in spite of_ that folly. I believe that is what you did on that fateful night. Voldemort, connected by his magic, was drawn into death with you. He did not return unscathed because he had cheated death once before as Salazar. His body was destroyed; only his spirit remained to haunt us."

"You say_ **if** _he used _Avada_. I never thought that was in question."

"I like to deal in facts, not speculation," said Snape. "We knew he wanted to Mark you, not kill you, and he did Mark you after a fact," Snape reached up and brushed Harry's hair from his forehead. "He did Mark you, but something happened that night which caused him to enter the Elementals and almost not return. We don't know exactly what happened—how the house at Godric's Hollow was destroyed. I suspect it was your accidental magic."

"Mine!"

"No else was there but you and Voldemort. I can't imagine that he destroyed the house _before _he killed your parents."

Harry frowned thoughtfully as Snape continued.

"But the rest we can assume happened according to what Dumbledore told you. Wormtail was their Secret Keeper, and Wormtail betrayed them. But I, for one, am certain your mother did not die trying to protect you from Death as you were told. Voldemort did not want to kill you."

"But—" interrupted Harry.

"_Avada Kedavra_ leaves no mark—and He wanted to Mark you."

"How could you be so sure?"

"He told me," said Snape softly. "Why would he want to kill a baby?"

"He told—" began Harry, but he broke off confused. "But the prophecy said a baby would _lay him low_. Didn't he know it was me?"

"Yes, but what does it mean to _lay low_? Wouldn't you _lay low_ if you were waiting for a child to mature?" Snape paused. "At the time, Voldemort thought that the second Prophecy Child, which we now know to be Samara, and you, Harry, were the same person. He needed to wait for you to mature, so that you could join Him and secure his victory."

"Hide," whispered Harry. "_Lay low_ could mean to hide. He didn't think I would hurt him. He thought I would be his—son—or something."

"Yes," said Snape softly. "You would be raised in the ways of the Dark with Salazar's teachings. But Wormtail did one other betrayal. He knew of your visit to Godric's Hollow, and took that time to betray you and your parents. He also told Voldemort that I was your protector and Regulus was James' and Lily's. James hadn't told Peter about Sirius because of the last minute change of protectors. Voldemort came for _us_ first, before he went after your parents."

Harry watched Snape wide eyed. "I did not show you this in the Pensieve because I didn't want you to witness it. It was—" Snape broke off and Harry had the ridiculous thought that Snape was trying to keep this awful memory from him. No, that wasn't Snape. There was another reason. "It serves no purpose to have you experience it. Suffice to say, he convinced me to take the Dark Mark, and he told me I could continue to foster you, after he Marked you as his own."

"Immediately after, I tried to contact Regulus and his mongrel brother. I was too weak to warn them or ward them, but the Blacks with Arabella could have helped if they knew. I was too late," said Snape. "He had already sent his Death Eaters for Regulus. Since Regulus was already Marked, they simply killed him. Apparently Wormtail had not told him about Arabella, maybe he didn't know about her, and the last minute change of James' and Lily's protector to Sirius saved his life.

_"Before I even stopped vomiting up his black magic, I went to Albus and Albus suggested I come to Hogwarts. If not to stay, then at least until the Dark Magic was purged from my system. I awoke to find James and Lilly dead, the Dark Lord gone, Godric's Hollow destroyed and you none the worse except for a cursed scar. I decided to stay at Hogwarts. Really, no where else was safe. _

I had no idea how the Dark Lord found out about my involvement in the potion and who else knew. Certainly my home was not safe. My father would have killed me himself if he even suspected I was part of a plot to kill the Dark Lord."

Harry shuddered. He didn't think Snape was using that a figure of speech. _What sort of man would have fathered Severus Snape_, he wondered. "Your father was a Death Eater," Harry suddenly surmised.

"_Is _a Death Eater," Snape said softly. "I knew I couldn't keep you safe, not with the Dark Mark," Severus continued.

"But Voldemort was all but dead," said Harry.

"And the same week the Longbottoms were attacked," said Severus. "And Lily thought that the connections of family were so important," Severus whispered, "so you were sent to the Muggles, your family, and I remained here. At least I knew when you became eleven, I could see you again."

"See me again!" said Harry incredulously. "You hated me—from the first moment you set eyes on me."

"Yes," said Severus. "I knew immediately when you entered the Great Hall that it was all for nothing. Lily died for nothing."

Harry glared at Snape, but he continued talking, ignoring Harry completely.

"You weren't strong enough. I was furious. I—" he paused, considering what he was saying. "I had words with Albus. You had no understanding of your power, no understanding of magic at all, and because of the Weasleys, you had no trust in me or any Slytherin and I couldn't blame you. I had to continue to deal with the Life Debt that we now share, but I could never speak to you. The Death Eaters and the children of Death Eaters were always listening. Voldemort never trusted me."

"What's different now?" asked Harry. "You are speaking now."

"He trusts me," said Snape with a wry smile. "At least, as much He ever trusts. When I returned to Voldemort last year, I had to convince him that I had no control over the decision that took you from me so long ago. He expected me to hand you over to Quirrell. I had to prove my worth."

"And you killed Dumbledore." Harry took a deep breath, eyes blazing with fury. "You used the potion, didn't you? You used the potion and the charm. You hold Dumbledore's power. What are you going to do?"

Snape shook his head. "Dumbledore's power is of no consequence. I do not hold it. The spell is not meant to be prolonged even with the potion."

"You delivered Dumbledore to Him gift wrapped."

"Yes," Snape agreed softly.

"I hate you," Harry spat, fighting tears of pure rage.

A strong wind suddenly shook the tower, causing the mortar between the castle stones to crack, and Snape was shaking him roughly. "Potter," he sneered. "Bringing the castle walls down on our heads will hardly harm Voldemort."

"But—" Harry protested. "I—did—I—? "

"I can say no more," Snape growled. "Voldemort will come. Just as He said He would. I cannot risk his Legilimizing you and seeing all I've told you. I cannot tell you more."

"He said he would come? Voldemort here? To Hogwarts?" Harry moaned. "I can't—"

"Yes," said Snape. "He will come. You can and you will. You, Harry Potter, will defeat him. It is the best place for you to face him. Albus and I talked about it many times: here, near the rift and the power of the Elementals. Here you are more powerful than he. He will come." Snape's eyes were shining with almost mad glee. "And you will avenge your mother for us both."

"I don't want—" Harry stopped and looked at his professor. "You know when, don't you?" he asked. "You know when he's coming."

Snape nodded, a bright light in his dark eyes. "Three days from now," Snape said, and then he cleared his throat, quoting, _"The next time I enter this cursed building will be to light Dumbledore's funeral pyre."_

"But you said Dumbledore isn't dead," said Harry.

"Guard your thoughts well," said Snape. "And do not put you faith in Albus. It is you who must do the deed. **_You_**."

"I don't think I can kill a wizard," said Harry softly. "Even Voldemort."

"Then you destroy us all," said Snape. "All our sacrifices are for nothing."

"I can't," choked Harry. "You don't understand. I just can't choose to take a life. Dumbledore said, 'your choices make you the wizard you are'—well, I don't want to be dead, but I don't want to be a murderer either. I cannot make that choice. I don't suppose you could understand that," he spat.

Snape just looked at him and his eyes looked far away as if he was remembering a quote, and then he spoke: _"Sometimes we have to do things that are so far beyond our abilities we have to search for help outside of ourselves to get through it. We have to make choices between bad and worse. Sometimes our choices suck out our hearts. Sometimes our choices suck out our souls. Sometimes, we have to bleed when there is no hope of return because only then, when we stand outside of ourselves, will we know our true worth."_

Harry blinked. He didn't have a clue what Snape was talking about. It didn't sound like Snape. "Who said that?" asked Harry.

Snape looked at him. "Meridius," he said. "James Potter was fond of the quote. He had it memorized. No small feat for one such as him who could barely string two coherent words together. I thought you might like to know. You should probably get some sleep," Snape added, pushing a vial of potion into his hand. "You will need to be well rested."

Harry cringed, unwilling to stay and yet knowing that he wouldn't be able to sleep, his mind jumped from topic to topic.

At last, he said. "What happened to your wife—"

Snape glared at him. "Out Potter."

Snape pointed to the door, but Harry still hesitated. If he was going to be facing Voldemort in a few days, Snape had lost some of his ability to intimidate him. "What is this?" said Harry, turning the vial over in his hand and thinking of the talk of a potion that would suck the power from another wizard. He didn't need their power; he needed their nerve. He just couldn't kill someone—

"Dreamless sleep," said Snape almost gently. "It's late, and you will need a good night's sleep."

Harry nodded and put the vial in his pocket. "Thanks. Professor—I—" he stopped, unable to ask what he wanted to ask. Visions of his mother kissing Snape haunted him. "About my mother—I mean—she seemed—" He broke off with a sigh. "You're a Legilimens," he snapped. "You know what I want to ask!" He didn't know why he expected Snape to make it easy for him. Lewd pictures of Snape and his mother danced in his mind, and Snape did or said nothing as Harry struggled with how to ask what he wanted to ask. "I mean—she didn't—did she?" He waited for an answer, but there was none coming.

Snape just stood there, smirking at him, watching him suffer.

"Oh, just forget it," Harry snapped, and stalked out of the dungeon.

_Miserable Slytherin git_, thought Harry. All Snape had do to was say one word and it would have put to rest his questions about his mother's fidelity, one way or the other. _Merlin, she had kissed that greasy git!_ He shuddered. _She really kissed him…._ As Harry got ready for bed, he looked at the potion vial that Snape had given him. It could be poison. _Look at what happened to Dumbledore!_ How much could he trust someone who would kiss a married woman like that? **_He had three days_**_—_

_She kissed him back,_ said a snide little voice. _She was married to his dad, pregnant with him, and she kissed him back._ He wanted to reject the memory, to believe again that she was the sainted mother he had always believed her to be. He felt desperate to hang on to his illusion. _Was there nothing sacred? Nothing untouched by Voldemort's evil?_ Surely it was somehow Voldemort's evil that caused these doubts. **_Three days and it would all be over_**_—**one way or the other**— _

Harry wanted to believe that Snape had lied about his mother, but he knew that wasn't so. It wasn't anything Snape said. It was a memory. It was true. He couldn't quite reconcile himself to the fact that Snape had been willing to give up Snape Manor and his family for her, yet it looked like he had done exactly that anyway even after her death. He lived at Hogwarts and Harry was quite sure that he had no children—_poor things if he did_, thought Harry. He wondered what ever happened to the girl Snape was supposed to marry--Parkinson. Not Pansy's mother, then, perhaps her aunt.

He closed his eyes and the image of Snape entreating his mother to leave James came once again into his mind, and his mother's answer, _and suddenly Voldemort was there, killing his mother, killing his classmates, killing his friends._ He lay for quite a while with his eyes wide open. At last his thoughts returned to his mother. Still, he wondered how on earth he was going to get to sleep. He needed to know what really happened between his mother and Snape and not just Snape's point of view. Just because the slimy git wanted his mother doesn't mean that the feeling was returned. He pushed away the thought of Lily molding her body to Snape's in the memory. He wouldn't think of that. She couldn't have wanted Snape: the greasy haired, miserable git!

After all, Snape only let him see what he wanted him to see even in Dumbledore's Pensieve. He should go look himself in Dumbledore's Pensieve himself. There probably was lots more information that he should know and not only about his mother—_and Voldemort._ _He needed to know about Voldemort. If he only had three days to prepare, he needed all the help he could get. _

If only he had his Invisibility Cloak—but Samara had it—if Crabbe gave it back to her— Harry sighed and closed his eyes. He would get it from her tomorrow even if he had to bribe Hermione into stealing it back from the girl's dorm.

After a good hour of tossing and turning, he decided he didn't care if it was poison in the little glass vial. He upended the bottle and drank it in one gulp. Within moments, the potion took effect, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

XIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

Ginny was having the best dream of her life. She was walking along the snow-covered path to the Forbidden Forest with Tom—and Salazar was gone—gone from the Hat. Gone from Tom entirely. His hand was warm in her gloved hand. The snow crunched under her dragon hide boots. Her very own beautiful dark green dress robes brushed the snow around her ankles and although for once in her life she wasn't cold, she shivered. Tom tucked her new black cloak closer around her as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Cold?" he asked, and she shook her head, smiling up at him. Everything was perfect. Tiny flakes of snow danced like fairies above them as he brushed her lips with his.

From a distance she heard someone calling her name. "Ginny!"

As much as she tried to ignore the troublesome voice, she couldn't. She blinked awake and found her ward being bombarded rather ineffectively by Eloise Midgin. "Ginny!" she screeched.

Without even being aware of moving, Ginny was out of bed, the ward released, a spell on the tip of her tongue and her wand drawn, her bare feet braced for an attack. It took her a moment before awareness came to her. "Tom? I was having the nicest dream—"

"About time," Tom replied to her as he glared at Eloise.

"There is a Slytherin at the portrait hole, vomiting her guts out," said Eloise with a note of disgust in her voice. "She's demanding to see you. She won't go away."

"Who is it?"

"How should I know?" Eloise said in a cool tone. "She's a Slytherin."

XIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

**Answers to reviews**

Sorry I forgot to do this last time. Double duty here.

**Reviews of chapter 41:**

Riddled-Slytherin Basilisks? You might wish you didn't ask…

Sorry about your cousin. My condolences.

AlinaJaqui

Samara wants her name in the paper because unlike Harry, she likes the publicity. She's such a ham!

Lirael

not the end. Sorry. I sometimes write "finis" at the end of the chapter to see where I am going to cut for the next chapter. Sorry I scared you, but here is some more BTD. Glad you are enjoying. Slytherins don't ride off to the rescue…ok Draco did for Samara, but that is unusual and as far as hunt down Sev or Dum, well, again, Slyths don't do rescues…usually.

Oh yeah, Tonks and Samara would have gotten along famously, but alas, Tonks is dead. She was just too powerful to live, and Sirius is still alive because I couldn't see any reason to kill him, now, that I've read HBP, Sirius death makes a little more sense in JK's universe, but I'm still keeping him around for a while.

Cronenus

Sorry dear, no Ginny/Harry. Harry has to be the lone hero, but Beatrice is going to try and interest him in a fling. He's such a stick in the mud. I can't help it. I mean really, if he's going to avoid kissing Ginny for a little thing like his scar burning like mad…geeze… and you will know if "Moldy Vorts gets dun" in when the story is over, not before.

WesleyPeppers HI Garret…Can't you keep your sis out of trouble? Glad you are enjoying.

Jager

Sorry for the dely. Tell your fellow readers, and friends to update….tell you what, if I get reviews on The Broken Beginning, I will update this one faster.

Silverfox1

I maight do some recap for the third fic, or maybe not. I have an idea that might make it a stand alone even tho it is a sequel. And I hope you are right and many of the readers will get back to those once they are hooked to the story. It's probably the fear of the length of the whole thing scaring them off. ...You are right about the length. I considered chopping it into smaller chapters and making two books out of The Broken Beginning, but the cut points suck.

Virginia Riddle-Malfoy sweetie, you deserve a box of Honeydukes best chocolate. Staying up till 4:09 AM to read my story. Love you dear. LOTS MORE GINNY/TOM TO COME.

Kittybro

Glad you are enjoying. More reporters soon.

**Reviews to 42 **(A great number of you commented on several similarities between my story and HBP. I am **not **going to comment on those in case some of you haven't read HBP yet…shame on you. I'm only going to say, it's eerie the number of similarities that crept up. I'm glad I'm not trying to publish this. I'd probably get sued, but you know I WAS FIRST…HA! JK! You know we love you right? Don't sue me…cowers…LL)

Crimson Moonpie 2005-07-18ch 42, anon. Glad you finally reviewed and that I can keep you on the edge of your seat. Hope this chapter was up to your expectations.

jeni Errr…I can't say anything to you but THANKS

Sayuri-Kikio Here's your answer to review… More Sevi for the Sevi starved.

Cronenus NO No Ginny/Harry. He has to save the wizarding world as we know it. He has no time for frivolous romance with Ginny.

Jager More Tom soon. He's worth the wait.

Alaxander 2005-06-26ch 42, anon. wrote: Snape and Lily, woah. I wonder if James knew... Yep. James knew…sort of. Hope this chapter clears up the questions.

Mattie 42, anon. Oh that wasn't very nice of you stopping like that... I know, it wasn't nice to end on a cliffie, but I'm trying to get my 15 reviews. You guys are slipping.

Silverfox12005-06-25ch 42, signed Ew, an Umbridge! Glad you think the chapter was worth the wait. More Snape to come.

WesleyPeppers "A little short," he says. The chapter was 20+ pages. It was actually one of the mid to longer ones. They are never under 15 pages and sometimes go as high as 30, but rarely that long. .

**OK It's time to do your bit now. Review. It's the only payment I get. It's not that hard, is it? Click the button. Say something…..You paid $20+ for HBP,but all I want is a few words--no money--no blood--no magic. You can do it. --LL**


	44. CH 44 A Healer's Choice

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 44**

**A Healer's Choice**

(A/N: After reading HBP, I had to keep reminding myself this is MY Snape, not JK's--although I loved chapter 2 of HBP. If you have forgotten what MY Snape has done, please glance through the summary below. Otherwise you may find yourself confused. There are enough similarities to be mind boggling, and believe it or not, there are MORE similarities with HBP in the next few chapters of ST:BTD. Good thing I'm not publishing this for money. I'd get sued.

Anyway, I know I've been **forever **getting this chapter ready for you, although in my own defense, **I only just got the 15 reviews.** Have you guys given up on me? I had this story finished, but after HBP it read like a Slytherin rewrite of JK's and I didn't think you wanted to read that. So, I had to do major changes. They are done now, and updates should be more regular. All answers to reviews will now be through ff's new option. If you have questions I haven't answered due to ff's ban of answering reviews, please ask again now that I can answer.--LL)

**Disclaimer:** That said, the **real** Severus Snape and all the Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK. --Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui deMorte,** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Go to my author profile and click on homepage and it will take you to the Yahoo! group. ennui deMorte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(A/N: Thanks for your patience and I apologize for the delay, but you still haven's given my 15 reviews. I'll chalk it up to HBP stunned brains.)

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down. 5 turns should do it!)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder!

Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure. At last they escape the Snow Castle for the safety of Hogwarts, but is anywhere really safe?

Ginny reevaluates her relationship with Tom and Harry reevaluates Ginny. The reporters make it difficult for Harry and company to get through the Great Hall. The group contemplates what to tell the reporters, and it culminates with an encounter with Snape where Harry learns things he'd rather not know. Which brings us to the real question, Who's side is Snape on? Really? That's my Snape, not JK's Snape. Comparisons on Snape at The Yahoo group are welcomed, just be sure to mark a spoiler section at the top of the post.

We learn a little more about Snape's relationship with the Mauraders and Lily Evans-Potter in the last chapter and Although Harry has just returned from the Snow Castle, he realizes that the time to face Voldemort is coming soon. He doesn't do well with advance planning. After all, he is a Gryffindor.

The group has just returned from the Snow Castle, and they left Lauren to Voldemort's tender mercies. We saw her get her Dark Mark.

It is morning, and Eloise Midgin has just awakened Ginny/Tom and told her that a Slytherin is waiting to speak with her. Eloise, of course had no idea that currently Tom is in control of Ginny's body, but he did promise to give it back after breakfast. Will he keep his promise?)

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth (underscore between words if it deletes them) also, for more great stories, visit voldemortsreadinglist and Please Please Please add your own Slytherin fiction after you read and review.

Your review is my only payment. **Please be generous. This was a long arduous chapter especially after reading HBP. Your reviews are appreciated.**

And now, on to the chapter…

**Chapter 44 **

**A Healer's Choice**

Tom found himself looking through Ginny's eyes at a very angry, very sick, Lauren Avery. Dark Magic was pouring off of her from her newly made Dark Mark, and it was obvious she hadn't slept. He was violently reminded of Carman and had to restrain himself from touching her silver blonde hair. "You look like shit," he said callously. "Why aren't you in bed?"

Lauren didn't answer. She just glared at Ginny.

"Snake got your tongue," Tom smirked? "Oh- excuse me, tongue, tits and magic bits--"

"_Tom," Ginny hissed in his head. "Stop being a git"_

Lauren's wand was out in a moment, her blue-gray eyes cold as ice. "I'll curse you to hell and back, Gryff. You might have been ok for a Gryff, but my father--." She stopped, as Visha hissed menacingly before Tom quieted her with a sharp order in parseltongue. Glancing back into the Gryffindor Common room, Tom saw several students milling around hoping to catch a stray phrase of gossip. Several had their hands on their wands. Lauren grasped Ginny's hand and pulled her out into the corridor which started Visha's complaints again.

"Where are we going?" asked Tom, following without protest.

"My room," snapped Lauren.

"Sounds good," mused Tom, still thinking how much Lauren looked like her grandmother.

"(Stop complaining,)" Tom told Visha at last in parseltongue. "(She has nice magic.)"A wash of sparkling pain jolted through him as he heard Ginny's outraged protests. "_Give me back my body. You're disgusting!"_

Tom chuckled lightly, and Lauren yanked him into the Slytherin Common Room and down the stairs. "This is no laughing matter," Lauren hissed. "You have to give Him what He wants. You have to find that emerald and give it to Him. He'll just take it anyway--."

"I don't think so," Tom said, stroking an agitated Visha..

"My father will die!"

"Oh Tom!" cried Ginny. "We have to help her…" Tom felt the rush of the Imperio that Salazar had placed on Ginny, and closed his mind to it, supremely glad that the Imperio had not been placed on him. 

"Marshall has his own resources," said Tom coolly not quite sure if he was speaking to Lauren or Ginny.

"Ginny!" cried Lauren.

"Someone's coming," said Tom calmly, recognizing the flood of heightened emotions that came from some arguing pair. In a moment, he realized it was Ethan and Edward. Lauren pulled him into a room that was plastered with posters of current male musical stars. He recognized none of them, but one winked at Lauren and Ginny as Lauren pushed Tom against the wall and continued to rant at him. Tom could smell her perfume, feel her fingernails digging into the flesh of his upper arms beneath Ginny's robes as Lauren shook her. Wafts of Dark Magic fell in waves about her. She looked so like Carman that Tom had to resist the urge to reverse their positions and kiss her--share magic with her. That wouldn't go over well with Ginny, or Alvin or even Lauren he was sure, so he just smirked in her face and continued to breath in long slow breaths tainted by a delicious musky perfume and focused over her shoulder on the plush snake that was curled up on her bed. He studied the line of potions bottles on the vanity and stacks of books arranged according to height on the desk. It occurred to him that he had never been in a dorm room that was quite so neat. Abruptly, Lauren pushed away from him and accioed the trash can. She turned retching miserably into the can, as waves of Dark Magic rolled around her.

Ginny's frantic voice finally came through his muddled brain. "What were you doing? You almost kissed her! She's a girl! You are in a girls' body! Lauren would freak! I would freak!"

"I wasn't going to kiss her," Tom protested.

"(Share magic,)" Visha added.

"(You aren't helping,)" Tom told the basilisk.

"_You were--" Ginny said_

"Jealous, Love?"

_Sparkles of pain ripped through him causing him to suck in his breath._

"That hurt!" he spat.

"_Not as much as I wish it did," Ginny growled. "Now tell her that you will find the emerald, and let's look--"_

"I will do no such thing," Tom said primly. "You don't want to do that, Ginny Love. That's Salazar's _imperio_ talking. Anyway, you can't find it. Samara has to give it to you, remember?"

"Help her get cleaned up then," suggested Ginny "and let's get out of here."

"Now that is a sensible idea," said Tom, as he cast a cleaning charm on Lauren's soiled robes."

"Do you think you can make it to breakfast?" asked Tom. "You really should eat something, at least toast and tea…"

"The emerald," she said as she nodded miserably. "You will help me won't you?" She sniffed at her cleaned robes, and wrinkled her nose. .

"I don't think He will kill your father," Tom countered. "Marshall is too important to His plans. Considering the combined brainpower of his Death Eaters, or the lack thereof, he can't afford to lose any of his Ravenclaws.."

"But--" Lauren began as she started to unbutton her robes with one flick of her wand and banished her outer garments to a hamper in the corner. Tom saw only a flash of pink lace covering her, before he gasped.

"What are you doing?" snapped Tom alarmed as he spun away from her to look into the lecherous eyes of the male singing star poster.

"Changing these robes," said Lauren doing another cleaning charm on the trash can. "No offense to your cleaning charm, Virginia, but you are better at wards. They look clean but they still smell sour."

Tom sputtered and edged towards the door. "I'll wait to walk back with you--"

"Stand still," ordered Ginny, and amazingly, Tom stopped. "You are in a girl's body. Leaving because she is changing clothes will tell her instantly that you are Tom. You might want to tell her that her posters are drooling though," Ginny giggled.

Tom repeated Ginny's comment about the posters and Lauren laughed. "I know," she said "Isn't it funny? Poor blokes. I'll just be a second--" She brushed by Tom clad only in undergarments and disappeared into the bathroom. Tom breathed a sigh of relief as the door clicked and Ginny laughed.

Visha cataloged Tom's reaction to Lauren in terms of his body heat and sweat, which Ginny found somewhat amusing, and somewhat disquieting, but when Visha asked when they were going to share magic with Lauren, both Tom and Ginny told her to shut up, in no uncertain terms and she pulled herself under Ginny's collar to sulk.

A moment later, Ginny asked. "Do you hear that?"

Tom listened and could hear quite clearly the voices of Ethan and Edward, arguing. Appparently, Lauren had put a listening charm on her wall for the nearby rooms. Ginny couldn't imagine the dungeon walls being thin enough to hear through. Ginny and Tom listened unabashedly.

"She wasn't the first one killed," said Edward.

"Who are they talking about?" wondered Ginny.

"Don't know," thought Tom.

"Shut up,"Ethan hissed at his brother. "He only kills witches and wizards when he has to--"

"Don't be ridiculous. Shaul and his father were killed for lying!"

"Lying badly," Ethan corrected. "There's a difference."

"Really? I don't see it. They weren't muggles or mudbloods. They were purebloods! Purebloods! Last week we were pissed because Draco was moved up in the Circle and this week, Draco's on his shit list, next in line for dungeon torture. Don't you see we could be next?"

"No, I don't see that."

"She was a pureblood, just like us--our blood," Edward said. "Our cousin--it's wrong."

"Edward--Her father was a Mudblood!"

"No!" he shouted. "She was not killed because her father was Muggleborn. Tonks was killed because she was too powerful, and Aislinn because she had no power at all."

There was a bump and a crash as if Ethan had thrown something or launched himself at his twin.

"Gryffindor's changed you. All this hyped up morality! Five months ago, you never would have mentioned her name. Never! She doesn't exist!"

"Five months ago I wasn't worried about dying."

"He won't hurt us. Mother is too favored--"

"And Malfoy's not?" Edward interrupted with a coarse laugh.. "No one's safe," Edward whispered. "Even I can see Draco's days are numbered. He kills when he feels like it, on a whim. We're just shadows--not people--not wizards. The way I see it we're walking a tight line, brother--a line that can change at any time."

"The power of the Dark Lord is monumental. If we just serve Him."

Edward snorted. "You are delusional. Wormtail served him. Wormtail brought him back from the dead--Wormtail gave him his fucking hand!" Edward's voice rose to a shriek.

"Edward, you know that Wormtail never was more than a pawn. Never."

"He was a wizard! A wizard who served Him, and he's dead!""

"Sometimes things have to be done to take the power--"

"Power! What power? We get to kiss his damn bloody robes? You call that power? We get to crawl around like house elves until he crucios us. I see punishment. I see death, but I don't see any power rolling our way. He keeps it all for Himself."

"Shut up!" Ethan hissed, the words running together in his haste to get them said. "You are going to get us killed. What would you do? Betray Him? Run? Where would you go with this on your arm? Have you forgotten Karkarof? And remember, one twin is worthless in His eyes. If you betray him, you betray me. Would you betray me, brother?"

Another crash and a scuffle sounded and then, Edward's voice, "No. Never."

"She's dead. You can't help her now. We'll go to the Memorial, pay our respects and it's over…it's over…"

Soft indistinct murmurings continued to come through the wall.

Ginny stood for several more minutes listening at the wall but heard no further arguing, and then she walked to the opposite wall. She could hear Millicent Bulstrode discussing her potions homework with someone. Ginny didn't recognize the other girls' voice.

"Anything interesting?" Lauren asked as she emerged from the bathroom.

"No," Tom answered. "What have you done to the walls?"

Lauren smirked. "Have to keep track of the Death Eaters that live next door. Of course, not now that I am one--" Her face suddenly crumpled. She broke down and started to cry.

Tom had no idea what to do with her.

"Give her a hug," suggested Ginny.

"You're kidding, right?" Tom asked of Ginny. Visions of Lauren's pink underwear danced through his head.

"_Not that kind of hug," said Ginny. "She just needs someone to support her--understand her--_"

"(Share magic?)" Visha suggested, but Tom hushed her..

"She's a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor," countered Tom. "Slytherins don't need hugs--or--or understanding."

The moment passed before Tom acted upon it. "I really don't want anything to eat," said Lauren, holding her stomach as she sank down on the bed and wiped her eyes.. "I just want to sleep."

"Do you want me to bring some tea down to you," volunteered Tom at Ginny's prompting. "You will want something in your stomach later--It makes retching the foreign magic easier."

"Thanks, but you aren't a Slytherin, Ginny," Lauren said. "You can't get into the common room alone much less here."

"Yeah. Right," said Tom.

There was a moment of strained silence before Lauren stood up. "Well let's go to breakfast then. I don't know how I am going to get through this day. I am so tired."

"You can do it," said Ginny.

"And I'm so worried about my father."

"I know," said Ginny biting her lip. "I wish I could help."

"Are you saying you can't," said Lauren coldly. "Because I don't believe you."

oo oo ooo

As Voldemort watched the two goblins approach, he wished he had the luxury to legilmize them, however, goblins were notoriously hard to crack. The older of the two carried himself with arrogant swagger, and flashed his sharp teeth. Voldemort imagined the older goblin's image had frightened some wizards. Voldemort was not impressed. He had learned of the older goblin's inflexible attitude from his spies. It was the younger goblin who interested Voldemort. The young of any species were so precious. .. so malleable…so trusting. He needed these goblins to get the upper hand again, now that Harry Potter had escaped him. _Not for long, he promised himself. Not for long…_

Voldemort pulled his snake face into a parody of a smile as he watched the younger goblin walk obediently at the older goblin's heels. Such obedience was worthy, although misplaced. However, neither of the miserable little creatures debased themselves before their betters, but only lowered their heads momentarily, and then the older one's beady little eyes met red ones without fear. Indeed, he seemed almost feral. _Treachery_. Voldemort could smell it on the creatures. He would have killed both of them on the spot, but there was some use for them yet, at least for the younger one, Quork. He so loved younglings.

"Well, Goblin," he said conversationally, eyeing the one in charge. "What news could not be entrusted to my underlings?"

"The payment to your mercenary giants is posted, but there is a discrepancy."

"Really?" said Voldemort with a slight smirk.

"Yes," continued the goblin without uttering so much as a _Sir,_ "Since, embezzlement is not possible within Gringott's walls." The first goblin's voice was a shrill squeak reminding Voldmort at once of a house elf although his news was infinitely more complex than the news any house elf could bring. "The problem must be with your Death Eaters--."

The goblin missed the tightening around Voldemort's mouth, as the creature gestured behind him to the younger goblin. "Bring the ledgers forward, Qurok" he commanded the other Goblin. Voldemort studied the younger goblin as the other creature waddled forward and opened the dusty ledger it carried, pointing here and there to the balances, which the Death Eaters had tithed to the Dark Lord. "This is the amount supposed tithed, but this is the amount received in our vaults. As you see," the aide said. "There still is not enough--"

"Just increase the percentages," said Voldemort.

"We cannot do that," interrupted the older goblin. "We will have to confirm the withdraws with the appropriate parties and get a binding contract. Rest assured we will find the embezzler," said the first Goblin, his long pointed teeth showing his macabre parody of a smile, and then he said, almost as an afterthought-- "Sir."

"There is no time," countered Voldemort. "Increase the percentages to cover the giants' costs immediately." Voldemort almost automatically pushed against the creature's mind with a variation of Imperius, but like many non-wizard folk, the goblin was not affected.

"No, I cannot--" said the older Goblin with a slight sneer, completely oblivious to the Dark Lord's ire. No one--no creature said _no_ to the Dark Lord and lived to tell about it. Embezzlement will not be tolerated either from wizardkind or goblin. I assure you we will get the culprit."

"You will do as I say," said Voldemort in a soft dangerous voice.

"Goblins do not take orders from wizards," continued the arrogant goblin, confirming what Voldemort's spies had told him about this particular goblin. "You might check your history. Such attempted coercion was how the first Goblin Rebellion began, and since that time, Goblins have remained neutral--" He seemed to be so used to wizard's deferring to his rather intimidating countenance that he didn't realize the danger he was in. He didn't even look up or he might have used his own brand of magic to at least make a token resistance.

The Dark Lord's growl of annoyance was over shadowed by the blast of the spell. "**Avada Kedavra!"**

The younger Goblin remained frozen, still pointing to the books, for just a moment his lower lip quivered, before he pulled his face into the toothy grimace common to goblins.

Voldemort took a deep breath and spoke in a soft compelling tone.. "It seems, Qurok, you have just received a promotion. You will alter the books according to my instruction. The tithe to my Death Eaters has increased. You will see that they all have binding contracts on file to that effect. Use whatever methods you need."

The Goblin stared at him wide eyed. "The wizengamut will investigate," he murmured eyeing his dead compatriot. "His death--"

"**Incendio!"** said Voldemort lazily and the dead goblin was consumed in flames. Nagini slithered closer to the heat with a soft sigh of contentment. "Disappearance," Voldemort corrected, putting His hand familiarly on the young goblin's shoulder. "The Wizengamut is in disarray, without their Head Mugwump, and will soon be defunct. However, the difference between--" Voldemort paused to let the facts sink in "--the embezzled funds have been split and deposited into his account…" Voldemort nodded at the smoking pile of ash that was once the senior goblin. "… and your own account."

"But I didn't--I never--" protested the young goblin, losing some of the stoicism goblins were known for."

"Don't look at me as if your lot has never cheated a wizard!" The goblin cringed under the Dark Lord's scrutiny. It was a welcome feeling. There weren't many goblins who could be intimidated and Voldemort welcomed the rush of power. "Now, you will do as I say, Qurok, and you will go far."

"Yes sir," answered the young goblin, strangely resigned to his fate. Voldemort saw no sign of his pointed teeth as he lowered himself to the task.

"The next order of business is a bit more personal," continued the Dark Lord casually. "I would like a list of every witch or wizard who has exchanged galleons to muggle money in the last year. I know most of them, but I wouldn't want to miss any of the muggle lovers."

"That's private information." The goblin hesitated and Voldemort just looked at him with his impenetrable red glare.

The Goblin looked away, but nodded.

"I also need to anonymously buy some house elves." Six should be plenty, like pallbearers, he thought to himself with a macabre grin.

"It may take me a while to procure them," the goblin said as he licked his lips, the tiny tongue peeking out from between the sharp straight teeth. It looked almost snakelike and his beady eyes were suddenly alight with greed. Perhaps, thought Voldemort, he had found a goblin he could like. Of course, they would never be wizards…just a step above house elf really…

"You can do it tonight," said the Dark Lord. "Before the evening meal." It was not a question.

"I think I can do it," said Quork.

"I know so," said Voldemort. "You goblins are a violent race. You understand that treachery must be dealt with quickly and decisively. The last goblin that crossed me didn't get off with an easy **Avada Kadavra**. His fellows discovered his embezzlement, and tore him to bits. Such a pity." Voldemort smiled and turned his blood red eyes on the young goblin. "Do we understand each other, Quork?"

"Yes, Sir."

Voldemort resisted the urge to tell the goblin to call him Master. There would be time, once the little creature had dug himself in a little deeper.

-- ooo --

The news about Albus Dumbledore's supposed death spread quickly Reporters inundated the castle through out the day and nothing could keep them out. Even without the proof of a body, the Profit was certain that Dumbledore was dead. The Order was reluctant to release information, but everyone wanted an interview with one of the Prophecy children. What would they do now, that Albus Dumbledore, their mentor was dead? Would they seek revenge on You-Know-Who? One reporter demanded that Harry divulge the actual words of the prophecy. Another asked did Samara really have a Dark Mark. Rita Skeeter even went so far as to ask Harry if he had a Dark Mark. They all wanted to know if Harry would have to fight Samara too now. Harry exchanged an exasperated look with Samara. He had dealt with this chaos all of his life. The Reporters blew hot and cold for as long as he could remember. One moment they loved him and the next they wanted his blood. He wished he had warned Samara to keep her mouth shut. They would twist anything she said.

Fudge brought Harry up to the head table to speak with him, but the reporters would not let them have a private conversation. Fudge told the Reporters that he had always cared deeply for Albus.

"So he was your friend?" asked one of the Reporters.

"My life long friend," replied Fudge, and Harry could not help but think that Albus' life might have lasted longer if he wasn't friends with Fudge. He couldn't out and out call the Minister of Magic a liar or a Death Eater. He simply shuddered and tried to wriggle out of the limelight.

The whole of the wizarding community was in chaos. Many who sided against Dumbledore or fancied themselves neutral parties still went to school at Hogwarts as children and had pleasant memories of the headmaster. Although they all now knew that their fate rested with Harry Potter and not Albus Dumbledore, they were afraid. Harry could almost taste the fear in the air.

"(Yes, afraid,)" said Shesha, and Harry pushed her back under his sleeve abruptly. That was all the press needed: Samara with a Dark Mark and he, the boy-who-lived with a baby basilisk on his arm. If they felt afraid before, that would terrify them, and put both Samara and himself in danger. He had no illusions about their loyalty. They had none. "(Be still and quiet,)" he hissed.

Harry knew that the thought had come home to many that now, there was only one skinny, ill equipped boy between them and Voldemort. Before, they could have put their trust in Albus Dumbledore. Now, they worried that they had only Harry: the weight on his shoulders was monumental.

The Profit printed stories about how Albus had defeated Grindlewald so long ago, and how he had groomed Harry Potter for his duel with the Dark Lord. Harry felt sick reading the twisted version of his own life and how it related to Albus Dumbledore's. The press turned Albus into a symbol of the light instead of a person, and Harry thought of how many times he lately he had doubted Albus' judgment. The man had made mistakes, yes, but that was all he was: a man. In the end, he was not a symbol or an icon of the light. He was just a man. He was a wizard who made the choices he thought were right. That was all any of them could do.

Fudge wanted to hold an official funeral, at Hogwarts itself, full of the pomp and circumstance of the Ministry of Magic, and although McGonagall strongly disagreed, saying that they were burying him before they truly knew his fate. She further stated that the newly reconstructed wards were untried. Fudge guffawed. "Do you think that with all the Ministry resources, we do not have someone competent to re-ward the castle? We may have lost our building and a number of Muggleborns, but most of the Purebloods survived. We will be fine. This is Dumbledore. We need to give the wizard a funeral that will be talked about for centuries."

McGonagall pursed her lips. "The media will intrude--"

"The media is not the enemy, Minerva," argued Fudge. "We are quite certain of Dumbledore's demise. Would you begrudge him his send off?"

McGonagal bit her lip and refused to answer. Snape sided with Fudge, but of course, Harry thought, unlike McGonagall, Snape knew Dumbledore was dead. Not only that, he knew that Voldemort had promised to return to light Dumbledore's funeral pyre. Harry glanced at Snape who was now calmly eating behind his curtain of greasy hair, biding his time, thought Harry, but to do what?

"Now is not the time to test the new wards. They don't even cover the grounds," McGonagall insisted to Fudge.

"I will send someone to take care of the wards," said Fudge.

McGonagall gave one last protest that the Great Hall was not large enough to handle the crowd.

"I think the Quiddich Pitch will do nicely. It was after all equipped for Wizarding Wireless coverage during the Tri-Wizard Tournament," Snape suggested.

Harry looked at him with open-mouthed surprise.

"Yes, very good," Fudge continued ignoring McGonagall's protests that it was January and frigid outside.

"I realize the warming charms will be a little cumbersome, especially in conjunction with the wards, but we can't shut the wizarding world away from Dumbledore's funeral. They need to see this. The people want to know, Minerva." Fudge patted McGonagall's arm reassuringly. "I'll find someone to handle the details. I know you are distraught. Albus was a personal friend of yours."

In the end, McGonagall had no say in the matter. The Board of Directors, with Fudge's urging appointed a new headmistress, bypassing McGonagall altogether when she became to cumbersome to deal with. The new headmistress' name was Delores Umbridge, and she made Harry distinctly uneasy. Simply the fact that she was approved by Fudge was enough to make Harry cringe.

"Harry, my boy," Fudge had said, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder as if he were a friend. "I had hoped that you would offer the eulogy at Dumbledore's funeral. Harry felt the tingling in his scar at Fudge's touch, but Harry said nothing about his being a Death Eater. It was a new awareness he had gained. Harry could probably walk among the Slytherins and pick out who had the Dark Mark, but considering that Ginny, Samara, Draco, Lauren and Melisande all had the Dark Mark, it no longer meant as much as it did before, and he couldn't fight the whole Ministry. It was bad enough that he was expected to kill Voldemort. Harry nodded, and spoke softly to Minister Fudge. "Surely we should wait--"

"Surely if Dumbledore were alive after the Ministry fell, he would be here," said Fudge. "Several Ministry employees saw him dueling You-Know-who."

"Perhaps there is someone else--" said Harry with a sigh.

"Well, everyone wants to know that the boy-who-lived is strong enough to take up the task before him. After all, some people have assumed you are Dumbledore's protégé, not that I was ever among them, but Harry, people want to hear from you. They want to know how you will take down You-Know-Who."

It appalled Harry that the Minister of Magic would not pronounce Voldemort's name, but he had probably called him the Dark Lord or Master to his face, thought Harry bitterly. He let his eyes drop to the floor. His thoughts immersed in his feelings of grief and guilt and regret for Dumbledore. He felt panic welling up in him to over rule the grief. He wasn't ready. He certainly was not Dumbledore's protégé.

Harry placed his hand in his robe pocket expecting to feel the comforting wood of his wand, instead he encountered a handful of smooth round pebbles. It took him a moment before he realized what--or _who_ they were--the Muggles.

"So what do you say, Harry?" asked Fudge, and Harry just looked at him, his fist still clenched around the stones. He realized the Minister was still talking about his giving the eulogy for Dumbledore. "It would do great things for the country's moral, Harry, but I suppose I could give it myself," said Fudge, and something turned over in Harry's stomach. _No. He could not allow this Death Eater to give the eulogy for Albus Dumbledore._ It would be a sacrilege that someone so dedicated to the side of light didn't have one person who was on his side, stand up to offer his eulogy.

"I would like to," said Harry. "But I'm sure there must be others who--" He broke off realizing that he had almost revealed Order members names to Fudge. "I will do it," he said decisively and Fudge nodded his approval. It made Harry's skin crawl. Harry sighed and tried to apply himself to his cooling breakfast, but he was totally put off his food this morning. "If that is all Minister," he asked calmly. "I'd like to go back to the Gryffindor table."

With his hand wrapped around the pebbles, he hurried to the table, looking for Ginny to change the pebbles back into the Muggle women. He couldn't believe he had forgotten them.

00>

Fudge waved Harry away with barely a glance, and the reporters split themselves between him and Fudge. Harry had not yet made it back to the table when Ginny entered the Great Hall from the Slytherin side, followed by Lauren Avery.

"Ginny!" Harry called, thinking it was really Tom, and not Ginny, that he needed to change the pebbles back into Muggles. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around that fact: needed Tom. _No, he didn't need anything from him._ Maybe he should ask McGonagall. Oh the explanations _that_ would require!

Ginny and Lauren were arguing, but fortunately it hadn't come to wands yet.

Shesha stirred, angered by Ginny's high emotions.

Ginny studiously ignored Lauren and she followed Ginny to the Gryffindor table. "You have to," Lauren pleaded. "Virginia!" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You can't just let him die!"

Shesha poked her head out of Harry's sleeve and hissed angrily as Visha spoke, "(You shall not threaten mistress.) Both Harry and Ginny tried to calm the angry creatures. After a moment, Ginny's eyes met Lauren's and she nodded.

"When?" Lauren persisted.

"Soon."

"Soon," croaked Lauren. "What kind of an answer is that?" Her eyes narrowed. "What if it were your father?"

Ginny hushed her. "I said I'd take care of it," she snapped. "I have to talk to Samara." and then, a little calmer, she continued in a soft voice. "I'll get the emerald, Lauren. I promise." Ginny's hand had gone to her throat where she was keeping Visha immobilized.

Lauren looked at her for a long moment and then, throwing her silky hair over her shoulder and stalked back to the Slytherin table, and sat beside Draco.

"And good riddance," muttered Ron through a mouthful of sausages. "Hey mate," he greeted Harry as Harry sat down beside him and Beatrice.

Harry pulled out the handful of pebbles, sat them on the table and looked significantly across the table at Ginny, but she applied herself to her breakfast.

"Ginny," he said. "I'm not good enough in tranfiguration to change them back."

"They're fine as they are," Ginny said between bites of porridge.

"Tom?" whispered Harry.

"Are those?" began Hermione, eyes wide, but she abruptly stopped speaking about the pebbles, realizing that they had an audience. Dean and Seamus were staring intently at them, so Hermione changed the subject. "What did Lauren want?" asked Hermione, but Ginny shook her head. "Nothing," she said.

"(Sisshausss!" hissed Visha. "(Our Sisshausss!)"

Immediately Dean and Seamus shifted away from the little group.

Shesha again stirred on Harry's wrist, but remained silent.

"It didn't look like nothing," commented Ron.

"I said it was nothing," snapped Ginny. "I can handle it. I'm not some poor little thing that needs your protection."

"(Tom?)" whispered Harry again, this time in parseltongue.

Hermione hushed him, looking carefully around, but the basilisks had caused the Gryffindors to give them a wide berth.

"What? You think only Tom has strength?" Ginny smirked at him. You have no faith in her," Tom whispered. "She's not weak, you know."

"I know, said Harry. "No one said she was--I mean--you were," Harry commented still thinking he was talking to Tom and not Ginny. He frowned. Tom was purposely trying to confuse him into thinking he was talking to Ginny. "I know who you are," Harry whispered. "What emerald was Lauren talking about?" Harry was thinking that the emerald Ginny was talking about could only mean one of the eyes of the stone basilisks in the chamber. Nothing good could come of giving it to Lauren for Voldemort's use, but he could also understand Lauren's persistence. "Ginny?" He said, softly, wanting nothing so much as to shake Tom into compliance. So Tom wanted him to think he was Ginny. If that got Tom's help, so be it. "Ginny," Harry repeated, softly reaching out to his friend, and closing his hand on her shoulder, but Ginny ignored him, along with the rest of the student body and began shoveling food into her mouth at a rate that rivaled Ron. "Ginny, we are just trying to help you."

"No, you're not," she said, shrugging away. "You're trying to _save_ me. I can see that look in your eye, Harry Potter, and don't think I don't know what it means."

"What look?" said Harry, innocently raising what little occlumency shields he had.

"Just leave me alone," Ginny snapped. "I'm not helpless. I'm a perfectly competent witch. I 'm not the poor little girl that I was in first year who you can pick up and cuddle, OK?"

Harry stared at her completely put off by her tantrum. Harry was beginning to doubt that he was talking to Tom. Perhaps it was Ginny.

"But I am," interrupted Beatrice.

"What?" Harry gave her an exasperated look.

"A witch you can pick up and cuddle," Beatrice said, her eyes sparkling over the cup of pumpkin juice.

"I can't do that," snapped Harry.

"You did," Beatrice replied. "When I was a bunny--"

"I can't go back. Why can't you see that?" Harry asked into the sudden silence. "Can't you all see that? Dumbledore is dead?" Harry's voice had risen, and the hall was still, watching their savior. Harry pushed back from the table, overturning the chair behind him and rushed from the Great Hall. He hardly got to the corridor when Beatrice caught up with him. Both Ron and Hermione followed too but stayed back a bit when several torches fired brightly and then went out as a wind kicked up unexpectedly in the corridor.

"Harry?" Beatrice touched his arm. "Calm down. I'm still here to listen."

"We're all here, Mate," said Ron moving closer with Hermione in tow.

"Dumbledore isn't," muttered Harry. After a moment Harry spoke in a soft voice to relight the torches. "Incendio. He should have known. Dumbledore should have known," Harry said, "but he didn't. Dumbledore didn't know. He trusted Snape."

"We all make mistakes, Harry," said Hermione.

"But he wasn't supposed to--" Harry took a deep breath getting control of his emotions and his magic. "He wasn't supposed to make mistakes." Harry looked at his friends, Ron and Hermione, and Beatrice. Ginny was conspicuously absent.

"We aren't even sure if it was a mistake," Hermione added. "Maybe Dumbledore and Snape's plan just went wrong."

"That's it, isn't it," said Beatrice. "You wanted Dumbledore to be right, because if he was always right, you would know what to do now."

Miserably Harry nodded, rubbing his hands over his face.. "I'm not ready," he said. "How can I ever be ready?" Beatrice's hand was cool on his, but he didn't respond. He just stared at the stone wall and tried to control the flood of magic that wanted to consume him.

"You're thinking on it too long, Mate," said Ron. "When the time comes, you will just do what has to be done--like you always have--just like second year when you killed that basilisk."

"You're right, Ron," Harry said hesitantly. "When the time comes, I'll know what to do." He didn't know if he was trying to convince them or himself. He blew out his breath, releasing the magic he had been holding. He still wanted to break down and cry, but he couldn't--not with his friends depending upon him. Not with the whole wizarding world depending upon him.

"Come back in. Finish your breakfast," urged Hermione.

Shesha hissed. "(Yes, eat. Master will feel better with hissuss--)"

"Think I'm gonna need my strength?" asked Harry with a slight smile as he stroked the basilisk under his sleeve.

"Something like that, Mate," agreed Ron as he urged Harry to come back into the Great Hall, but by the time they got back to the table, the food had already disappeared, and Delores Umbridge, acting Head mistress, announced that Albus Dumbledore's funeral would be in two days, although there would be no viewing of the body.

Harry wondered if Dumbledore's body had actually been recovered. He knew Moody and Sirius were looking for it, but he hadn't heard from either of them since last night in the infirmary. There were so many dark spells could be done to or with a dead body. Harry shuddered.

Then Umbridge had made a bizarre announcement. Those who were not sorted by the Sorting Hat at the beginning of the term would now be Sorted. As the group of first years and handful of older students went to the front of the Great Hall, Harry felt a weight of foreboding as Beatrice hugged him. "Don't worry," he said. "After your 'mad dash' to Voldemort's realm, there is no doubt that you are a Gryffindor."

"No," she said shaking her head. "That wasn't bravery. It was loyalty."

"Nonetheless, it was brave too," said Harry, giving her a little squeeze. "I'm sure you'll stay in Gryffindor."

"I don't want to be brave," said Beatrice in a soft voice. "Not like Ginny and Hermione."

Harry looked after her confused as she hurried to the front of the room, and caught Samara's hand, as if she didn't want to stand alone.

Harry knew that he had helped with the spell to fix the Sorting Hat, but it didn't seem the right time to do this Sorting to him. Dumbledore would have had some words of wisdom for them if he were here. The loss of the Ministry building had shocked the wizarding world and it was still in an uproar. There was a chain of command, but the fear was escalating. The Order was trying to dispel some of it, but with the auror deaths including Tonks, splashed across the Prophet today, he thought that the fear would continue to run rampant until Voldemort was dead. Harry understood that the teachers were trying to bring some feeling of normalcy to the Great Hall, but he felt with Dumbledore dead, it may never be normal again. The very walls seemed to be weeping for the great wizard. He watched with a surreal feeling as Professor McGonagall clutched the Sorting Hat with nervous hands. Amazingly, most of the students seemed to be correctly sorted as the Hat resorted the beginning of the alphabet. Harry looked up as Professor McGonagall called Donnally, Samara.

The acting Headmistress, Professor Umbridge cleared her throat nervously and Professor McGonagall pulled her lips into a thin line as Samara, gently disentangled her hand from Beatrice's and walked to the Sorting Hat stool. Harry could tell she held the basilisks, but they were well hidden. He doubted that any others except for Ginny could see through her disillusionment spell.

"Here," Ginny said picking up the pebbles from the table where she had been idly rolling them back and forth. She dropped them into his hand, and gently closed his fingers around them. Her eyes met his as she smiled a wry smile. "So easy to forget them, isn't it?"

Samara's hands were sweating. Everyone was looking at her and very few seemed to have any feelings of support for her. She met Harry's eyes across the Great Hall. His healer green aura was bright and strong and Shesha poked her head out of his sleeve before he pushed her back and she felt her own basilisks stir.

Once she was seated, Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, as she had done for so many others before her. The Great Hall held its collective breath waiting for her sorting.

The Hat, wriggled and wrinkled itself as it situated on her head, and then began to speak to Samara alone. "Oh yes, the famed Prophecy Child," the hat sneered. "Your empathetic gifts make you a chameleon. You can fit into any house, according to the writ of the Founders, but the gift of empathy itself is wholly Hufflepuff. Shouldn't that gift decide?"

"Then the gift of parseltongue should have put both Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter into Slytherin," countered Samara. "One gift would not make the decision."

"(You speak our tongue, Mistress,)" said Salacia helpfully

"Ah--I see your logic. Very true. Logic worthy of a Ravenclaw, and yet, I cannot Sort you there either. What decision would you make? The Founders have said your choice is part of the process. You choose, Samara Donnally, since I cannot."

"Who needs me the most?" wondered Samara.

"Slytherin," said the Hat without hesitation.

"(The house of the Serpent,)" intoned Cush reverently.

"Then that is where I will go," replied Samara.

"(Yes, yes, we will go to the house of the Serpent,)" said Sawa excitedly, and some of the others stirred anxiously.

"(Be still you foolish ones,)" admonished Salacia, and the others quieted.

"A very impetuous reason to choose a house," said the Hat. "Do you realize this may affect your whole life? I stand by my original thought. Hufflepuff. Your healing qualities alone--"

"Impetuous?" laughed Samara, putting her hand at her waist to touch Salacia in gratitude for her words to the others. "Isn't impetuousness the province of the Gryffindor not Hufflepuff?"

The Hat growled its irritation at it's own indecisiveness. "Because they need you…I say you are choosing Slytherin for a very Hufflepuff reason…"

"What? Do not Gryffindors and Ravenclaws and even Slytherins respond to the needs of others?"

"Slytherins respond to their own needs and ambitions," replied the Hat. "And yet I do see ambition in you. You wish to do great things…"

"Good. Go ahead," said Samara. "Say Slytherin."

"I will not," replied the Hat petulantly. "I cannot properly Sort you. You must choose where you will go. Since you are choosing, you will say the house. I will not."

Her basilisks stirred indignantly, as Samara huffed, uncomfortable with the Hat's pronouncement. "(Hush Sweetlings,)" she murmured to the agitated basilisks.

Samara took the Hat slowly from her head and laid it on the stool. Her eyes were sad as they met Harry Potter's across the room, and Ginny who sat across from him, and then she glanced at the Hufflepuff table where she saw Sally Ann and Susan anxiously awaiting her sorting.. "The Sorting Hat will not Sort me," she said, and the Hufflepuff's gasped. . "It leaves me to decide. And so…" A slight shuffling at the Ravenclaw table brought her attention to Terry Boot, who winked at her and Aldwin who was smiling at her as he dropped runic stones on the table. It was too far for her to see what the runes showed for her, but Aldwin's face broke into a wide, knowing smile, and nodded at her. "I have loved my time in Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw--" she looked at each table in turn. "But I must choose, Slytherin." She walked confidently to the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy stood to greet her with a kiss, and Lauren Avery whispered something intensely to her before returning to her own seat. Harry put his head down on the table, the smooth round stones of the Muggles under his fingers. There was a smattering of applause from the Slytherin table, but most others were silent. The Prophecy Child had gone to Slytherin. Most thought it was a very small step from there to the Dark Lord.

Harry dragged his eyes back to the Sorting stool. Like most of the school, he couldn't quite believe that Samara had gone to Slytherin. He had expected her to stay in Gryffindor, or perhaps go to Ravenclaw. The fact that she had gone to Slytherin should mean something, but he was afraid it meant no more than she wanted to snog Draco Malfoy.

Ellis, Beatrice," called McGonagall. Harry glanced up from between his crossed arms and could see Beatrice mouthing the words. "Hufflepuff. Put me in Hufflepuff. I don't want to be brave."

"Hufflepuff!" said the Hat, and Harry wondered why he didn't think of that first year. It would have solved so many problems if he didn't have to be brave. He wondered if he could ask for a resorting…a new life…His musings came to an abrupt halt, as the Hat was placed on Edward Lestrange's head. He watched for a long while as the Hat studied him, but at last it yelled out _Slytherin_. Edward Lestrange tossed the Hat carelessly back on the stool as he stalked towards the Slytherin table and embraced his brother. "I guess the jig's up," he said with a shrug as the other Slytherins accepted him.

"That's no surprise," muttered Harry.

"I knew he wasn't a Gryffindor," said Ron.

"Yeah, but what are we going to do with that mural he painted on our bedroom wall?" asked Seamus

"Maybe the Fat Friar can exorcise it?" suggested Dean. "Hannah said--" Dean broke off uncertainly as Lavender glared at him.

"How can you go out with Hannah Abbott when Parvati is in St. Mungos?" she snapped.

"I'm not," said Dean. "Hannah and I are just friends, okay, but Parvati may never come out of St. Mungos--"

"Shh!" hushed Neville as Styvesent, Llewellyn was called to be Sorted. Melisande Genivee, who had already been Sorted into Gryffindor, squeezed Neville's shoulder in a comforting gesture, and he smiled and clasped her hand in his. "I'll miss Beatrice, though," he said.

"Zee little rodent was never good enough for you," said Melisande, and Neville beamed at her.

Lew's was the only other change in house, who after being sorted into Ravenclaw, came back to the Gryffindor table to tell Neville the password for Ravenclaw."

"You can't do that," admonished Hermione, her Prefect responsibilities working overtime.

"But he's my study buddy," protested Lew. "I need you Neville. Who else would I review with?"

"Don't worry about it Hermione," said Neville dejectedly. "I'll never remember the password. It's in Greek."

"Sure you will," said Lew. "Mnemonics." He frowned at Hermione's raised eyebrow and pulled Neville aside to talk seriously with him for a few minutes. After that, he hurried back to the Ravenclaw table where Padma Patel shifted over to allow him to sit by her.

"You're not going to Ravenclaw, are you?" Hermione asked Neville. "It's not allowed."

"Well," said Neville. "It's just that Lew said, they have the most amazing library in Ravenclaw. It should help our study." Neville's eyes twinkled almost mischievously. "You can come too, if you want to, Hermione." Neville began to blush as he looked at his shoes. "Lew said, Terry Boot thinks you're pretty."

"What!" snapped Ron turning on Hermione. "That egg head that always wants you to study arithmancy. I knew he didn't just want to study! He might know more curses than me, but it only takes one well placed--"

"Ron," said Hermione helplessly. "Harry!" she implored her friend.

Harry didn't answer. He wondered how they could all slide back into normal Hogwarts life with Dumbledore dead. It seemed sacrilegious.

00

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	45. CH 45 Parting Words

**The Seers' Truth: Beyond the Darkness**

**By Lady Lestrange**

**Chapter 45**

**Parting Words**

(A/N: Anyway, I know I've been **forever **getting the last chapter ready for you, although in my own defense, **I only just got the 15 reviews.** So here's a bonus…a new chapter without your need to review to get it. Please be generous in your reviews. Sorry for the delay, but I had to do major changes. I promised I wouldn't quit on you. I hope you won't quit on me. The changes are done now, and updates should be more regular. All answers to reviews will now be through ff's new option. If you have questions I haven't answered due to ff's ban of answering reviews, please ask again now that I can answer.--LL)

**Disclaimer:** That said, the **real **Severus Snape, who is not a pureblood, and all the Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK. --Lady Lestrange

**Special thanks to my beta, ennui deMorte,** who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Go to my author profile and click on homepage and it will take you to the Yahoo! group. ennui deMorte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.

**15 reviews**: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story.

(A/N: Thanks for your patience and I apologize for the delay, but you still haven's given my 15 reviews. I'll chalk it up to HBP stunned brains.)

(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down. 5 turns should do it!)

Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.

Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.

Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.

Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.

Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.

Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.

Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.

Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.

Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.

Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.

However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way-or not- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder!

Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?

Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure. At last they escape the Snow Castle for the safety of Hogwarts, but is anywhere really safe?

Ginny reevaluates her relationship with Tom and Harry reevaluates Ginny. The reporters make it difficult for Harry and company to get through the Great Hall. The group contemplates what to tell the reporters, and it culminates with an encounter with Snape where Harry learns things he'd rather not know. Which brings us to the real question, Who's side is Snape on? Really? That's my Snape, not JK's Snape. Comparisons on Snape at The Yahoo group are welcomed, just be sure to mark a spoiler section at the top of the post.

We learn a little more about Snape's relationship with the Mauraders and Lily Evans-Potter in the last chapter and Although Harry has just returned from the Snow Castle, he realizes that the time to face Voldemort is coming soon. He doesn't do well with advance planning. After all, he is a Gryffindor.

The group has just returned from the Snow Castle, and they left Lauren to Voldemort's tender mercies. We saw her get her Dark Mark.

It is morning, and Eloise Midgin has just awakened Ginny/Tom and told her that a Slytherin is waiting to speak with her. Eloise, of course had no idea that currently Tom is in control of Ginny's body, but he did promise to give it back after breakfast. Will he keep his promise? Yet another prophecy from Parvati, or was that Helga? Lots more action. Stay tuned…

For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth (underscore between words if it deletes them) also, for more great stories, visit voldemortsreadinglist and Please Please Please add your own Slytherin fiction after you read and review.

Your review is my only payment. **Please be generous. This was a long arduous chapter especially after reading HBP. Your reviews are appreciated.**

And now, on to the chapter…

**Parting Words**

Tom had watched the Gryffindor dynamics play out at the breakfast table with something like amusement. It was obvious to him that Ron thought the bushy-haired Mudblood was hot.

"_Hermione," Ginny interrupted his thoughts, "And you don't need any special talent to see that, Tom. Everyone knows how jealous my brother is of Hermione."_

Tom reached for another sausage, and Ginny protested. "_How many sausages did you eat now? I'm not going to fit in the new robes I bought."_

"Hardly," he thought with a roll of his eyes that had to look suspicious to anyone watching him.

"_Anyway, it's after breakfast," Ginny pointed out. I want my body back. You've eaten enough. I have to climb up to the Divination Tower so I'd better get going."_

"Right then," he agreed as he scoffed down the previous sausage. "Time for exercise, you can have the body back."

"_You're impossible."_

"I do try."

0 0

The Great Hall had stared to clear out, and most of the teachers had stood to leave when the crash of an overturned chair caught Harry's attention and he looked up to see a tearful Susan Bones pointing her wand at Ginny. Ginny had also pulled her wand and although Harry would have laid odds on Ginny had Susan been alone, Hannah Abbot and Justin Fitch-Fentley rushed forward to protect their housemate, effectively surrounding Ginny. Visha was hissing madly, but Ginny's left hand on her neck prevented the basilisk from biting anyone. Ron jumped to the defense of his sister, shoving Hannah Abbot aside, and Dean Thomas pulled his wand, growling menacingly at Ron.

"Stop!" Hermione urged as she caught Ron's shoulder.

"How could you?" cried Susan, her wand unerringly on Ginny. "You knew she was my grandmother. You knew! Did you cut the hair for the polyjuice from her dead body? Were you there when they killed her? Maybe you cast the killing curse yourself!" Susan's voice rose in a horrified shriek. "How can you even consider yourself a Gryffindor with that thing around your neck?"

By now the remainder of the stragglers in the Great Hall had gathered around the two girls. It didn't help that several Slytherins had pulled wands and were pointing them at Susan. Harry realized the situation could escalate in seconds if someone actually cast a curse, or if Visha bit someone, so he stepped between them, his back to Ginny.

"Susan," he said calmly. "You don't want to do this." He felt the prickling of Ginny's eyes on his back and for just a moment wondered again if Tom was in control of her body. Was he out of his mind? Tom could hex him silly or even kill him--with his back turned--but he didn't think Ginny would allow that to happen. "Susan," Harry said again. "Put the wand away."

"Please…"

Susan stood stubbornly resolute and her housemates all stood loyally with her. Even Beatrice, the new Hufflepuff had come up to see what was going on, but she didn't pull her wand. She was the only one who didn't. "I saw you talking to those slimy Slytherins," Susan hissed.

Harry tried another tack. He glanced back at Ginny. "Ginny," he said catching something like amusement in her eyes. "Please. Put your wand away."

She hesitated a moment searching Harry's eyes as if for confirmation that if Susan hexed her, he would block or take the curse. "Fine," Ginny spat, shoving the wand into her pocket. Harry could tell by the way her fingers were splayed that Ginny wasn't defenseless even with her wand put away which made him wonder if this was truly Ginny in front of him, or if it was Tom. Harry turned back to Susan, appealing to her sense of honor and fair play. "Now, Susan, put your wand away. You don't want to curse an unarmed witch. If you do, then what makes you better than the Death Eaters? You don't want to stoop to their level. Susan. Please."

"I need to know if her body was burned," she whispered. "I need to know that they can't…won't…"

Harry sucked in his breath. He did not need to be told what horrible things Voldemort could do with dead bodies. He vividly remembered the bones of Tom Riddle, Voldemort's father dropping into the caldron in Little Hengleton graveyard.

"Please," Susan said. She continued to hold the wand, but her grip faltered, and she started to cry. Harry took the wand gently from her hand and gave it to Beatrice for safe-keeping, just as Professor Sprout bustled up to the little crowd, and shooed the onlookers away.

"My parents," Susan whispered. "Death Eaters buried them--and the whole house--they couldn't recover the bodies, and now my grandmother. Please, Ginny, tell me you saw her burned…"

Professor Sprout listened as if she as well as Susan wanted to hear Ginny's answer.

"I can't tell you that," said Ginny.

Susan threw herself at Ginny, who in her own defense, cast a wandless _impedimenta. _

Susan found herself on the floor at Ginny's feet and didn't pick herself up. She lay there screaming at Ginny. "Death Eater! You're using Dark Magic even now! I will never rest until you are in Azkaban. I'll see you Kissed. I promise you…I will never forgive you! Never give up! Death Eater!"

"Let's get you back to Hufflepuff," Professor Sprout urged her, as Susan's screams escalated.

Ginny stood staring at her, feeling the angry glares of the other Hufflepuffs. She had never felt more like a Death Eater at the Snow Castle. All the color had drained from her face as she realized that Susan was her enemy and she wasn't the only one. The accusing glares from the other students cut her to her soul. Even Harry didn't trust her; she could see it in his eyes

"Oh Tom what have I done?"

"_Only what you had to, Ginny Love. Only what you had to."_

"Ginny," said Ron decisively, putting his wand away, and pulling her into a hug. "It's alright." And she buried her face in the shoulder of her brother's robe so she wouldn't have to see their accusing eyes.

"_You don't need a shoulder to cry on." Tom groused. "You handled that little scene admirably. Why do you let them coddle you, Ginny? Why?"_

"Because I like it, Tom. It feels good. Someday I'll get you to understand family."

"We're late for class," Hermione reminded them.

oo oo ooo

Harry distanced himself from Ron and Hermione feeling that they needed the space. He knew that they had drawn closer together and he felt increasingly like floo powder on a broomstick. Beatrice had befriended him, and he was aware that she wanted to be more than friends, but he just couldn't focus on a relationship now. She said she understood, but continued to be close by whenever he needed her. Neville and Melisande, like Ron and Hermione were often absent. Samara had openly joined Draco at the Slytherin table and not surprisingly, about half the time, she took Ginny with her.

Harry felt horribly alone. He felt as if he was floating like a ghost separate from everyone at Hogwarts. It was such an occasion, while drinking tea with McGonagall and trying to sort out his feelings of inadequacy, that McGonagall told Harry that Dumbledore had left a letter behind for him. Harry frowned, "He knew he was going to die?"

McGonagall shook her head and handed him the rolled parchment. "He knew that it could happen at any time, as it could for any of us.

"But --" Harry shook his head dejectedly. "Please--at least tell me you saw the Headmaster's body," he said.

"No, I haven't," she answered. "But I believe Professor Snape has the situation under control."

"Snape!"

"Professor Snape, Harry," said McGonagall.

Harry snorted. "I don't care. I don't trust him. I never will--He killed--"

"At least remember that the Headmaster trusted him. Grant his last wish."

"But--" began Harry.

"These are dangerous times," McGonagall continued. "I think you should read it here," she said. "I will give you a bit of privacy."

She smiled a tight smile and after a moment she left Harry alone in her office and he broke the seal on the parchment and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I have instructed Minerva to give this to you at my death. I would tell you not to grieve, but grief, like death is a normal part of life, and above all, I charge you to live. Don't just survive to kill Voldemort, but live and love and celebrate life. _

_Even before you were born I knew you would be powerful, but when I first held you in my arms I knew that Voldemort would seek you. The power fairly oozed from you. I met with the Order of the Phoenix even before your birth to devise a plan to protect you, and keep you for the Light. There was only one other child that I knew who even came close to your innate magical power: Tom Riddle. I couldn't risk your falling to the Dark. None of the Wizarding world could. It was better that you were protected from all magic until you could truly choose for yourself the direction you would go. We all knew that you were powerful, and your choice to be the Savior of the Wizarding world could free us from Voldemort's tyranny, but to keep you safe we, who considered ourselves light, did a very dark act. We separated a mother from her child. At the time I supposed the end justified the means, but lately, I am questioning all those decisions of long ago. I wonder if a such a dark act as separating your family and later placing you with such a family as the Dursleys could yield good results, and yet I see the young man you are becoming. You are your parent's child, but you are also becoming your own man. I know your mother died protecting you, but I recently wonder if there had been a different way. The Prophecies that have ruled my life told of such sacrifices in detail, and as a young man I did not question the morality of such a decision. I now question and although time cannot be altered, I ask for your forgiveness. I know it is time to step into the next great adventure, and I wish to leave no animosity behind. _

_I have lived my life in the shadow of one prophecy or another. It is the only way I know to go on. Now, there are no more prophecies to lead me. I find the choices offered me uncertain, since no path is laid out. I know that you have hated the Prophecy for ruling your life, but in some respects Harry, I see that we are the lucky ones. We know our_ path. _We know what our lives should mean and what our purpose should be. Severus tells me that the hell of not knowing whether any decision is really right or good is its own kind of torture. He sees it's effects over and over again among his Slytherins. I have never understood--_

Harry paused, looking up from his reading. He understood. His time among the Slytherins had given him the insight that Dumbledore lacked. He knew they did not view life like Gryffindors did with a clear code of right and wrong. They measured right by power, but by concrete means. That would have confounded Harry just a short week ago--even just a day ago--before the Snow Castle. He wondered what this knowledge meant. He could no longer look at a Slytherin and see evil. He had worked along side of Lauren and Draco, and he wasn't satisfied that they were the only ones in that house he could save.

Harry turned back to the letter.

I know that you felt abandoned at the Dursley's, Harry. That was never my intention, but the protection of blood, can only be equaled or surpassed by the protection of love. How could I choose who would love you, Harry? I couldn't, but I could measure the power of your mother's blood. I have always dealt in black and white--good and evil--light and dark until this very moment. For the first time in my life, I am not certain I am doing the right thing: the thing preordained for me to do. The uncertainty is strange.

_I have never known that feeling until this moment. For the first time, I am making a choice that was not preordained. It is exhilarating and terrifying. I hope it is the right one. Severus is sure that it is, and I trust him. I know as surely as if it were prophesied, I am no longer the only Wizard the Voldemort has ever feared, and in knowing that, I must step aside and allow your power to wax as mine wanes. Harry Potter, I pass the torch of the Light into your very capable hands. I know you will do what is right._

_Love,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry felt the tears rolling down his cheeks and off of his chin. Love--Professor Dumbledore had signed the letter, _Love_, as if he were family. Harry's throat was closed with emotion and he felt as if a hippogriff was sitting on his chest. He was really dead, then. Professor McGonagall thought he was dead. The enormity of Albus' death struck him once again with more force than before. How could he continue? How could he lead the Light? Who would follow him? He was not ready for this. The void left by Albus was a gaping wound in his soul. He looked around McGonagall's office, as he dashed away the tears, thinking never again would he run up the moving stairs to Dumbledore's office to lay his problems at the great wizard's feet. There were so many times that he criticized Dumbledore but now he needed him. He needed him! He wasn't ready to do this alone. He wasn't ready to do it at all. Harry wept until his soul was wrung dry and then with the letter in hand, he silently left McGonagall's office, locking it behind him. He wandered the halls seeking peace. The gray stone seemed to call to him, and pulse with a new life. Hours later, Harry found himself in front of Dumbledore's office. The Gargoyles leaped aside, but he didn't go up the stairs. He waited for interminable moments as if Dumbledore would magically appear. When he didn't, Harry slowly sat down at the bottom of the stairs.

He could check Dumbledore's pensieve and try to make sense of all the theatrics that followed his parents' death. After all, he had heard the story from Snape and from Tom Riddle, neither of which were exactly reliable. Harry still didn't understand exactly how the potion worked the night of his parent's death, but it seemed that Dumbledore was really dead and not somehow preserved by the potion and spell as he had hoped. He must be dead. After all, McGonagall gave him the letter. Harry sniffed. He was sure that seeing Dumbledore one more time before the encounter with Voldemort, would strengthen him somehow. Even seeing him in the pensieve would calm his frazzled nerves. There would surely be some explanation for the potion. If not, at least Harry could revisit some of the moments when Dumbledore's calming presence had strengthened him, and Harry thought suddenly, there would be a portrait on the Headmaster's wall…the only other portrait he knew of Dumbledore was the one where he was defeating Grindalwald.

"Harry!"

"Parvati," said Harry happy that at last the young seer was out of St. Mungos, but in the next instant he realized it wasn't Parvati he was talking to. "It was Padma."

"Harry!" She said, her voice filled with relief. "Parvati sent me. She said I would find you here." She lowered her head, and said softly. "I think she's dying, Harry."

Harry said nothing. He couldn't cope with any more death right now.

Padma touched his shoulder and then pulled back abruptly as Shesha poked her head out of Harry's sleeve. After a moment she composed herself, and spoke.

"Parvati wanted me to tell you some things. It's the way the seeing works," Padma said folding her hands in her lap and sitting beside Harry on the steps. "In every generation of Patils, if the child is a seer there is always a twin in Ravenclaw. The seer may go to another house--usually Gryffindor or Slytherin, but the other twin is in Ravenclaw, so that they can interpret their twin's sight. I'm sorry it took me so long to understand. I--I'm not very smart as Ravenclaws go--"

"Yes, it took you too long," snapped Harry, "Dumbledore is dead."

Padma looked up startled, a flash of fear on her face, but then she recovered. "Death," said Padma softly. "Aldwin would say it is just another journey, another adventure to be experienced. It will all unfold as it should."

"It's not just some sodding adventure!" yelled Harry jumping to his feet. "Snape fuckin killed him!"

Padma overcame her fear of Shesha and laid her hand on Harry's shoulder as he gave into the grief, covering his face and taking great gulping breaths of air. Shesha hissed what comfort she could offer.

"I will tell you what Parvati wanted me to tell you." Said Padma.

"Save your breath," said Harry. "It's too late."

0 0

"I will tell you what Parvati wanted me to tell you." Said Padma. She paused and then moving away again she recited, as if she had memorized the exact wording:

_Saved from unjust torture she brings the crest of war_

_Bound she breaks the fealties his family swore_

_In Death the Truth revealed through love and friend_

_Released where blood and magic's illusions end_

"You're not making any sense," Harry interrupted angrily, "It sounds like you started in the middle. Who is supposed to be speaking?"

"Helga," answered Padma. "Wait. I think it was a continuation of another prophecy." Padma cleared her throat and began reciting.

_There will come, when fifty plus a millennium pass,_

_An empath of our blood combined, a lass—_

_First natural magic in ten generations of none._

_Rejoice, the rift is healed, the battle is won._

_She will be called a child of the prophecy._

_Brave, powerful raven. Both dove and hawk is she—_

"I remember," said Harry.

_Saved from unjust torture she brings the crest of war_

_Bound she breaks the fealties his family swore_

_In Death the Truth revealed through love and friend_

_Released where blood and magic's illusions end_

_Dark Magic wreaks such a terrible cost_

_But Creation magic says all is not lost_.

"But all is lost," Harry said. "I can't do this alone." He turned back to the Gargoyles. "I just can't believe he's dead."

"I know," said Padma.

Silence reigned between them. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do," he said.

"Seal the Rift," said Padma.

"Oh, it's not enough now for me to kill Voldemort, I have to seal Rift in the Magical World that no one's even been able to _find_ for a thousand years!"

"Harry--"

Harry didn't look back at Padma as he entered Dumbledore's office.

It happened so fast! Harry was surprised to see Fawkes, who screeched and rose up from her perch. Why was he here? Dumbledore was dead.

Shesha hissed her displeasure, and at lightening speed, slithered up Harry's sleeve to his neck.

He felt Shesha's fear. It was unmistakable, and he hissed to her. "(It's alright, Shesha. I won't let Fawkes--)"

There was a flash of phoenix fire in front of his face and he never got to finish the sentence. The movement of the phoenix was so fast, so miraculous, that he didn't have time to gather magic to his hands or his wand. The fire glowed like a blinding halo around his head and the flame flickered and bubbled with Fawkes movement, an abrupt strike knocked both him and Shesha to the floor: Once. Twice and then there was a humming so beautiful it pierced his head with white fire and he could see nothing but the bright pain, and hear Fawkes screeching, or was it his own screeches?

Pain erupted in his eyes! He was blind! Knocking his glasses to the floor, he pushed his fists against his eyes in horror as the pain seemed to shatter every nerve in his head. The pain of Voldemort's touch had never been so intense. He dropped to his knees the scream caught in his throat prohibited him from casting, but somehow, he raised a shield, he felt the magic exuding from his very skin.. The fire in his eyes continued, but the he heard the singing. So perfect was the sound that it could have been the angels singing. He recognized it. Phoenix song. It grew, crescendoing into a shriek and only then did he realize that beneath the singing was a shrill keening: Shesha! His neck was wet with basilisk blood, and he couldn't see. The pain was unbearable. He clutched his eyes as if he wanted to gouge them out, but he forced himself to take his hands from his own eyes, and his vision returned, blurry and indistinct, but his sight was intact. He just needed his glasses. It was Shesha's pain he was feeling not his own.

"(Shesha!)" he croaked in a rough parseltongue. "That soddin bird pecked out her eyes! She's blind!" Harry howled, closing his burning eyes and feeling in the dark for the basilisk. The pain was so intense that he could barely open his own eyes and he didn't know where his glasses had fallen to. It didn't seem important. "(Shesha! Come to me.)"

Unerringly, the basilisk came to him, and shaking he laid his hands on her bloodied face as he felt the heat of Fawkes approach as the phoenix come around for another pass at the basilisk. Harry didn't wait for her attack. The magic billowed in his hands, rolled down his arms and off of his fingertips as he bellowed. "**Avada Kadavra!"**

Even with his temporarily impaired vision, the spell found it's mark and Harry heard the squawk and dull thud as the large bird hit the floor and burst into flames. A moment later the baby phoenix was born. Harry heard it's low chirp. Sobbing, Harry cuddled the wounded Shesha close. After a moment he opened his eyes and searched for his glasses. Rubbing his eyes, he put them on. His vision was still blurry with tears but he could see again and the pain was subsiding. He touched Shesha's bloody face with horror. He realized she was now keeping her pain from him, sparing him her suffering. He heard the chirp of the baby phoenix and was filled with loathing.

"Harry!" Padma was at his side, pushing through the wreckage that was Dumbledore's office. "What happened? Are you hurt? Should I call Madam Pomfrey?" She reached out to touch him, but drew back abruptly. "Harry! You're hot!"

"How could Falkes have attacked like that there was no provocation?" He mourned.

"Instinct," said Padma, tucking her hands into the sleeves of her robe. "They are natural enemies."

"Enemies are never natural," said Harry as he at last pried open his eyes and looked at the flailing bird. The sulpher smell of the Avada curse hung in the air.

'(The phoenix is not _sheis_ now,)" Shesha reminded him, and Harry could feel her need to sink her fangs into her attacker. He could relish the taste of Fawkes magic. ("Sissshausss! Make him part of our power!")

What could they do with phoenix power? Harry wondered momentarily, and then he paused. "No," said Harry. With a sniff, he rubbed his sore eyes again. "No." He had to get control of himself. Try to heal Shesha. She was still quivering with pain. "(Let me help you,)" Harry told her, but she had curled into a tight miserable ball, nursing her bleeding eyes. In her pain, she had withdrawn from him. "(Let me help you,)" Harry insisted.

"Fawkes has rendered the basilisk harmless," said Padma.

"Shut up and get out," snarled Harry and Padma scurried from the residual magic that flowed from him as he spoke. "Shesha was harmless before Fawkes tore out her eyes. She would have never killed. Never! She obeyed me. She would have kept her eyes closed." Harry was rubbing his hands over Shesha's cool scales in an attempt to comfort her. He felt the wetness on his face and realized it was tears, not blood. He was hyperventilating, thinking of the times Shesha had protected him in the Snow Castle, when she helped him save Beatrice, when she saved him from the veelas, and he had failed her. Failed. Why could he never protect what was important to him? Why hadn't he either killed Voldemort or died by now. Why was everything he loved hurt or killed or ruined? How could he have gotten safely from the Snow Castle only to be betrayed by Dumbledore's own phoenix--the phoenix of his wand.

"But if she kept her eyes closed," said Padma, "Then all Fawkes did was add a little insurance."

"Get out!" Harry shrieked, dragging air from the Elementals in a wild wind and stirring up the dust and debris of Dumbledore's office.. "Get out before I curse you!"

"You won't do that, Harry," Padma said softly. "There is more that Parvati wanted to tell you. She knew what Fawkes would do--"

Harry looked at the girl with absolute loathing. "You knew and you did nothing to stop me? You could have warned me!"

"It's a basilisk!" snapped Padma, and Harry pulled his wand.

"Say what you have to say about this prophecy and get out," Harry said in a low controlled voice. Even in his near blindness he kept his wand poised on her. Holding the wand seemed to calm him somehow. He could sense her magic in some way that was becoming familiar to him. He couldn't help but think that he wasn't acting like a Gryffindor. His death grip on his wand was a souvenir of the time at the Snow Castle--time with the Slytherins. His hair was blowing. He felt the Air Elemental, and if felt good, better than good, swift and sure, like flying he thought and somewhere came the reminder that if he wasn't going to use this magic, he should release it, but he didn't want to. He found he understood the Slytherins better right now than he understood Padma's _laisse fair _attitude for the pain of a living creature--his basilisk--his Shesha. He pushed the memories of the basilisk he himself had killed in second year to the far reaches of his mind. He pushed away the thought of the attempted Avada he had inflicted upon Shesha when he had first met her, and the stray thought appeared, that the Avada had worked on Fawkes. Perhaps he wasn't too hopeless to kill Voldemort after all. He held the wand on Padma a moment longer asking himself why he was threatening her, and furthermore, why he was bothering with the wand at all when he could feel the power coursing through his soul. He sank to the floor, cuddling Shesha, and clinging to her like a lifeline. He didn't know how to heal her..

Padma settled her hands in her lap and while looking at the business end of Harry's wand, She did not draw her own wand. She continued to tell him what Parvati had begged her to say. "She truly thinks she is Helga," Padma whispered. "They can do nothing for her at St. Mungos. They say she will either live or die as the prophecy dictates. They are just--keeping her comfortable."

Harry waited, finding grief within himself for the girl that he had once taken to the Yule Ball. It seemed a lifetime ago. "Is she in pain?" Harry whispered, considering the pain coursing over Shesha.

Padma shook her head. "I don't know. She just mutters constantly. She doesn't sleep."

She says, "_Do not be afraid of blindness, for in your blindness you will see."_

Harry scoffed, but Padma continued undaunted. "_Dark falls. Suns die. There is deception in the Light as well as the Dark and truth in the Dark as well as the Light. Bright is the fire, which you call Dark and Dark is the Earth that you call Light. Earth and Fire, Water and Air all together where there is no light or dark, only Spirit, but in blessed Darkness exists the peace which is Forever-- like my chamber."_ She calls to someone. I think it is Salazar Slytherin."

Harry shivered.

"_Come to me at last my love. I long for you. One cannot live without the other. One cannot live with the other, for they are the same essence--Basilisk and Phoenix--Earth_ _and Water--Fire and Air."_ Padma took a deep breath. "She knew, Harry. Parvati saw. She saw what happened to--Fawkes!"

"She knew? And you didn't tell me?" Harry's voice rose incredulously.

"You didn't listen."

"Tell me now," Harry demanded. "How do you know she knew that Fawkes would attack Shesha?"

"I didn't know that. I just knew--" She shook her head. "That wasn't what I meant. The prophecy mentioned your basilisk--"

Samara and Ginny burst into the room all of their basilisks hissing frantically. "What's happened?" snapped Ginny brandishing her wand.

"Who attacked him?" asked Samara. Her robe was loosened and the basilisks that clung to her dropped from her to go to Harry and Shesha.

"Fawkes," said Padma, but he didn't kill the basilisk. He just blinded it--and--and--"

"Just blinded it!" howled Samara.

For just a moment, Harry was quite sure that Ginny was going to curse Padma, but she seemed to gain control over herself. "Shut up," snapped Ginny, brandishing her wand as she reached out to Harry. "We were on our way to dinner when we heard Shesha scream."

Others piled into the room now: Draco with Samara, Ron and Hermione, Neville, Melisande and even Lauren.

"You have a time turner, don't you?" said Hermione, addressing Padma.

"No!" she snapped backing away. "It will not be put to such a use." Her hand went under her robe collar, clutching the tiny necklace, and no one spoke to her again. "Accio!" said Ginny and the magical chain snapped as the timeturner flew to Ginny's outstretched hand.

"No," said Harry gently closing his hand over Ginny's. He wondered briefly it this was Ginny or still Tom Riddle, but the thought didn't stay as he tried to hear the basilisks frenzied hissing. They were arguing among themselves--trying to decide what should be done with Fawkes who was chirping in fear and hiding under a smashed sneakoscope.

The others pulled close to Harry, as Cush looked hungrily at the phoenix and hissed. ("It is not sheis now. It's hissusss.")

("The right is Shesha's,") corrected Salacia. ("It should become part of her power, not ours. We will only share as she is our sister.")

("Yes, sisshausss,") agreed Visha, but Harry shook his head. ("No,") he said softly. ("It must stop somewhere.")

("You betray your bitemate,") Celicia said haughtily. ("It should die.")

("The choice is not yours,)" admonished Samara.

"What are they saying?" Draco asked Samara in frustration. "Are they going to kill it?"

Samara shook her head. "Harry doesn't want them to."

Draco snorted. "Gryffindor. You should tell them to kill it, Samara, before it hurts one of the others."

Samara shook her head again. "Wait--"

With a soft cheep, baby Fawkes came out from under the sneakoscope and hopped closer to Harry and Shesha. After a moment, the bird hopped onto Harry's hand. He thrust it away, but it returned. Harry resisted the urge to crush the thing with his bare hands for the pain it had caused, but he also remembered her singing in the Chamber of Secrets and bringing the Sorting Hat, saving him….and hurting him. Shesha stirred weakly, turning toward the bird. It was within striking distance, but Shesha did not move. A moment later, Harry felt the wetness of tears on his hand as the silvery liquid dripped from the bird's tiny eyes. It turned its head so that the drops fell onto the basilisk, and Harry panicked thinking this could not be a good thing for a basilisk. Its tears might be toxic to Shesha. He wrapped his other hand around the bird, planning to fling it away, when a warm healing began to flow through him, and he looked at Shesha. She was in less pain. Another drop fell, and her eyes began to heal over, new eyes growing where the ruined eyeballs had been. Shesha turned and blinked at him, the new eyelids already formed over vividly green eyes.

He stared at them thinking, he was the first person in history to see a basilisk's eyes. They were green--emerald green--like his own--like the basilisks in the Chamber of Secrets--how had Salazar Slytherin known to make them green?

"(I see you, Master,)" Shesha said wonderingly, and the bitemates hissed in appreciation of this new talent, which they shared in some manner through their telepathy.

Harry glanced around at his friends. No one had died and no one had turned to stone. "(You can see?)" Harry demanded. "(And your gaze no longer kills?)"

Shesha closed her eyes and opened them again. "(I can see,)" she said. "(But the light hurts. Make the hurting stop, Master.)"

"(I'll try,)" promised Harry. "She's hurting," Harry told the others.

"Maybe Hagrid can help her," suggested Ron.

"That oaf?" commented Draco under his breath.

"Harry," Ron reached out and touched his friend's neck. "You're bleeding." Immediately, he yanked his hand back, howling with pain. "OW! Ow! Ow!"

"It's not my blood," said Harry, "It's Shesha's" and Samara clasped Ron's hand in her own, wiping away the basilisk blood and healing the burns that had eaten through the tips of his fingers to the bone. In a few moments the blackened skin was replaced with the new puckered pink of healed skin.

"Harry--the prophecy--" began Padma. "What are you going to do?"

He looked at the group, his eyes resting on Padma. "I can't think about that now," he said softly. "Maybe later." He picked up Shesha and strode from the room, struggling with his impaired sight.. "Hagrid," he said. "Hagrid would know what to do to help the basilisk." Harry looked at Ron's hand. "You should go to the infirmary."

Ron scoffed. "I'm going with you, Harry. My hand's fine." He flexed his bright pink fingers, which still looked a little raw, but not as bad as they looked a moment ago.

"The prophecy said, 'The phoenix must surely rule," Hermione quoted. "and yet, at least here, there seems to be some sort of a truce. Do you think it will effect the outcome of the prophecy?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "I have to take care of Shesha, now."

"I'll get Hagrid," said Ginny. "Go to the Chamber, Harry. There are potions there--and it's safe from--whoever would want to hurt the basilisks."

"But Ginny," protested Ron.

"If you don't want to come, we don't need you," snapped Ginny impatiently.

"I'll come," Ron said. He turned to Harry. "Come on, Mate."

"What about Parvati," said Padma weakly. "What about the prophecy?"

"Fuck the prophecy," snarled Ginny.

"Send me an owl," suggested Harry.

Getting Hagid into the Chamber of Secrets was not as difficult as they expected. All Ginny had to do was convince him that the basilisk needed his skill in healing creatures, and Harry certainly couldn't bring her to his hut when all the reporters were still milling around the castle.

"I don't thin' she's gonna be blind, Harry. I thin' the Phoenix tears healed her eyes. They ain't gonna give her back her magic, but ye gotta admit, it ain't no tragedy that she can't kill people with a glance or turn 'em ta stone. She'll be better off than before. She can open her eyes. She'll be able ta see."

"She's still in such pain, Hagrid." Said Harry. "Why did Fawkes do it?"

"What did you expect from Dumbledore's birdbrain?" snapped Draco. "All snakes are evil--"

"Ya won't speak ill of Dumbledore," said Hagrid tightly.

"He didn't mean it, Hagrid," Samara interrupted Draco's reply.. "We're just all upset about Shesha."

"I understand," Hagrid said sympathetically as Draco muttered, "he did so mean it--"

But Samara leaned her head against Draco's shoulder, and whispered something that made him smile. "Will Shesha be alright?" Samara asked Hagrid.

"It's nothing a little rest won't fix, though. Now. Tell her to sip this a bit, Harry. It will make her sleepy and when she wakes, she'll be right as rain."

"You're sure."

"'O course I'm sure. What ya think I'd do ta her Harry," said Hagrid, offended.

Harry hissed to Shesha, urging her to drink Hagrid's concoction. She didn't seem as repulsed by it as Harry was. Tastes a bit like rat blood," Shesha commented. Harry didn't' think he wanted to know more. After a little while, Shesha curled close and fell asleep.

"Now, ya can put some warming spells on those rocks and when ye come to get her in a few days, she'll be better."

"Days!" cried Harry. "I can't leave her here for days. Dumbledore's funeral.

"I don't think she really wanted ta go to his fun'ral, Harry," said Hagrid with a sniff. "Great man he was"

"No I meant I can't leave her here alone. What if she wakes and needs something?"

"Harry," said Samara, "you're bitemakes. You will know."

"She wouldn't want to wake up alone down here," said Harry. "She didn't like it when Voldemort made her stay here."

Samara nodded. "OK. How about if I leave a few of the basilisks here to keep her company?"

"Vol-- Volde--His?" Suggested Ron.

"Bloody hell, Ron, just say it," snapped Harry. "It's just a name."

"I--I can't, Harry. All my life, I've been taught words are things of power, and His name--" Ron shook his head. "I just can't say it."

Harry sighed. "We can't leave Voldemort's basilisks down here," he told Samara. "If

He comes down here, those ones would readily do his bidding."

"Salacia?" suggested Draco.

"No," said Samara. "I was thinking of leaving Tacita and Sawa. They are both quiet and won't mind the silence, but will still be company."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Samara."

"We should go," said Ron. "We're going to miss supper."

"Supper!" said Hermione. "Is your stomach the only thing you think of--"

"Not the only thing," he said putting his arm around her shoulder, and she blushed.

"Smooth, Weasley," commented Draco.

"You guys go ahead," said Harry. "I'm not very hungry. I think I'll stay here with Shesha."

"In the Chamber of Secrets?" said Ron. "Are you daft? We're not leaving you here"

"Well, there is a bedroom," said Ginny. "If you want to come back after supper."

"The little ones could use some fresh meat, Harry," said Hagrid. "If 'ya want. I could stay with 'em 'till ya get back."

"They'll be alright, Hagrid," Ginny interrupted. "We'll know if Shesha needs anything."

"I don' mind, setting with the lil' darlings, " said Hagrid, already settling his enormous bulk among the basilisks who were to keep Shesha company for the night. "Go on, Harry. Go get something to eat, then you can come back and let me out. I don' really wanna eat in the Great Hall anyway--giant blood an all--makes the reporters nervous."

"Bloody hell," snapped Ron. "You shouldn't have to stay away from supper."

"We're not talkin' 'bout me," said Hagrid. "This is about Shesha, and Harry. Go on, Harry. Don' ye trust me ta take care of 'er?"

"Of course, I do, Hagrid," said Harry. "I'll be back right after supper."

"Samara and I should go up through Slytherin common room," said Draco.

"Don't want to be seen with a bunch of Gryffindors?" questioned. Ron.

"No, Weasley, don't want to be seen with you.

0000

When they climbed out of the Chamber of Secrets, an owl was waiting for Harry. He took a rolled parchment from the bird and opened it as they walked towards the Great Hall. It said:

_There will come, when fifty plus a millennium pass,_

_An empath of our blood combined, a lass—_

_First natural magic in ten generations of none._

_Rejoice, the rift is healed, the battle is won._

_0_

_She will be called a child of the prophecy._

_Brave, powerful raven. Both dove and hawk is she—_

_Saved from unjust torture she brings the crest of war_

_Bound she breaks the fealties his family swore_

_0_

_In Death the Truth revealed through love and friend_

_Released where blood and magic's illusions end_

_Dark Magic wreaks such a terrible cost_

_But Creation magic says all is not lost._

_0_

_One day the serpent will take up his emerald ring_

_When you Slytherin, dance and paint and sing_

_To foil the slavery the spell weavers wrought_

_And conquer the weakness Meridius' sin brought_

_0_

_Circle of darkness anchors my love to earth_

_Kenaz enlightens. Sowillo challenges Perth_

_The far outcome Ingwaz; Hagalaz the past_

_The near rune, distruction, Thurisaz is cast_

_0_

_Both Hufflepuff love and Slytheirn guile_

_Together in spirit protect Meridius' child._

_His Power unknown at last lashes free_

_At a terrible cost which I cannot see_

_0_

_Green eyes in awe of the basilisk's gaze_

_Learning the wonder of the phoenix ways_

_Phoenix tears, Dragon Fire and Basilisk breath_

_Healing and Purging; Breaking the Walls of Death_

_0_

_Fire, Air Water, Earth encompass Dark and Light_

_Your essence of Magic, unequalled in might_

_Opening the path to the Spirit makes five_

_Breathing life to those dead and death to those 'live_

_0_

_Never alone in the netherworld will she be_

_As long as she harbours Love's memory._

_Bound by a promise to save a captive from birth_

_Freed she challenges time and alters Perth_

_0_

_I see with faith, but in the past struck blind_

_What sacrifice will bring life and love there find?_

_I know only that the Rift must finally close_

_And a Memory of Love will go where she goes._

_0_

_For my little assisstance you did not ask_

_Yet I see love unbound by time or task_

_Three healing the rift Solwilo at their side_

_Five houses united: A Headmaster's Pride_

_0_

I guess Padma took me at my word," said Harry.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, and Harry handed her the parchment just as Ginny said, "Look! It's Fred and George. They're out of the infirmary."

Ginny and Ron hurried to catch up to the twins who were walking carefully into the Great Hall. Their eyes were bandaged and both had large black dogs on short leashes. One of the dogs gave a short bark, and stopped, turning George to meet them.

"Whose's there?" asked Fred, pulling his wand.

"It's a friend," said George, "Can't you tell by his bark?"

"Honestly George, you would think that dog is an animagus. Mine isn't that smart."

"He's smart enough--"

"Sirius?" murmured Harry, bending to pat George's dog.

"No, his name is Snuffles," said George. "Who's all here?"

Harry's eyes widened, but he said nothing. After all they were in a public hallway and not everyone knew about Sirus' innocence or his animagus abilities.

Ron meanwhile, gave the twins the run down. "Me, and Ginny, Harry and Hermione."

"Can you believe it? Snape found the dogs. They're seeing blind dogs. Muggles used them all the time," replied Fred, "But I think George got the better of the deal. His dog is smarter--"

"I doubt that," said George. " Yours is plenty smart. Found his way to the kitchen after we missed breakfast didn't he? Anyway, if we get magical eyes made, it won't matter."

"Madam Pomfey says we have to wait another week before the optic nerve is healed Then we will know if our sight will come back or we have to prepare for the implant." Added Fred.

"Oh--" cried Hermione horrified. "You might not get your sight back?" She looked about ready to cry.

"Hey, it's no big deal," said Fred. "Now that they have stopped hurting-- Madam Pomfrey said she wasn't sure about the strength of the phoenix tears, now that--well the tears strength is tied to the strength of the wizard, and with Professor Dumbledore dead--" Fred let the implications hang.

"Don't worry about it Hermione," said George. "Moody was over to talk to us. He said he used to wish he had two magical eyes. They actually sound really cool. Did you know they can see magic? Tell the temperature of a potion, differentiate between different spells, see through Invisibility cloaks, around corners…"

"It would be awesome to have a magical eye," said Fred.

"And the Ministry will pay for them. Injured in the line of duty and all," added Fred proudly as he gestured towards the Great Hall. "Shall we go into supper? I'm starved."

They had no sooner entered the Great Hall than the food appeared on the house tables. Harry pulled out the chair to seat himself and Ron had already started piling mashed potatoes on his plate when a scream and a crash issued from the Head Table as six house elves dressed in various pieces of Slytherin green livery apparated around the table.

There between them, lying on the Head table, completely dressed as if laid out in state was the body of Albus Dumbledore. The only thing marring the sacred tableau was the hilt of Slytherin's dagger that was protruding from Dumbledore's chest.

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